Love Pallet
by Kenshin3
Summary: Ash likes Misty. Misty likes Ash. So does May...and Erika...and Jessica...
1. Popstar Story

Love Pallet

Episode 1: Popstar Story

by Kenshin

A/N: This is the first episode in my new series. Hopefully it's better than the others. When you are through reading it, why not tell me what you think? While you're at it, you can send me some comments, or even email me and tell me what you think (redundant, huh?).

  
Nobody in the group was more excited about the talent show than Misty. She had auditioned to sing. Ash had wanted to listen to her practice, but she had refused to let him. He was a little depressed due to this, but quickly cheered up when he decided to enter the talent show as well, and ran off with Pikachu to think up what they could do. The only thing he could come up with was for Pikachu to do tricks on command, which Pikachu agreed to after he was bribed with a promise for a whole bottle of ketchup. 

Ash had just finished peforming and the crowd was cheering. Pikachu had done splendidly and, to Ash's surprise, had even improvised a few tricks that Ash had not taught him. He grinned as he looked at the pokemon, bowing for the audience. "Good job, pal," Ash said to him. "Pika!" said Pikachu. "Don't worry. I've got the ketchup in my backpack. We'll go get it now." And with that, Piakchu and his trainer (and best friend) bowed one last time, walked off stage, and walked over to their seats in the crowd. Ash got the ketchup out for Pikachu, who began drinking it immediately. Ash paid little attention to Pikachu, however, as Misty was performing next. 

He gasped along with the rest of the crowd as she walked out from the wings and took center stage. "Pikachu, she's so...beautful." Pikachu looked up from his ketchup binge long enough to glance at her and agree. "Chaaa" he said, then resumed eating. Misty was wearing a low-cut dress that was the same color as her eyes. It was slit up one side to reveal her silky-smooth leg. Ash began to drool. "Wow," said Brock, taking a seat next to Ash, "you might wanna wipe your chin off there, buddy." Ash shook himself back to reality. "Brock, I've always thought Misty was cute, but I never knew..." Ash was too stunned by her appearance to put it into words. 

Then she began to sing. Ash didn't hear the words to the song, and to this day he wouldn't be able to tell the title of it to save his life, but he never forgot her voice. He listened to her sing, enraptured for what seemed to him like hours. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. Apparently, the judges agreed. She won best in show. Ash won a small ribbon for Pikachu's performance, but he told Pikachu it was his, since Ash hadn't really done any of the work himself. 

Ash walked over to Misty after the show was over and was about to tell her what he had said to Brock, when a man dressed in a snappy suit cut in front of him and grinned at Misty. "Young lady, I haven't heard a voice like that in years! Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jack Stone, producer and owner of Stone Records. I'd like for you to audition for my company. If the other execs like you (and I assure you, they will) we can start you recording a solo album!" Misty was stunned. Her? Recording an album? It was too good to be true. Ash waited patiently behind the businessman, confident that he would soon go away after hearing Misty refuse his offer. 

Misty's mind raced as she thought of her dreams come true: fame, money, a life of luxury. Misty began to stutter, "Umm..Umm.. Ye..Umm.." Then she thought of Togepi, Brock, and Pikachu...and Ash. She thought a lot about Ash. "Sorry, but no..." she said quietly. "Are you sure? Well, it's not like I can force you...here's my card if you change your mind." And with that, the well-dressed man turned, shaking his head sadly, and walked off. 

"Wow, Misty! You were great! I's never heard you sing until now, so it took me completely by surprise! Your voice was so...beautiful," Ash stammered. Misty's face brightened up. "Really, Ash?" she asked coyly. "Yeah! I was completely stunned! I couldn't even make out the words, I was so taken by your voice," Ash admitted. "You couldn't make out the words? What do you mean?" she asked, getting angry. 'Uh-oh,' Ash thought, 'that probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.' "I was just kidding Misty! She looked angry, but said "Okay, whatever." 

"Hey, guys! Let's head over to the pokemon center!" they heard Brock yell. "Okay, Brock!" Ash was relieved that Brock had broken their conversation. He didn't want to make Misty mad again. He'd been doing that a lot lately, unintentionally, of course. Still, he had to wonder why she was always getting upset with him...especially when he was talking to other people, mostly girls, now that he thought about it... 

***

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said happily as Ash patted his head and scratched that spot behind his ears. "Hey, you like that, huh?" asked Ash, laughing. "Chu!" affirmed the little electric pokemon. "Well, I'm gonna go get something to eat. I'll pet you some more later," Ash promised. "Pika Pikapi! (Ok, Ash!)" said Pikachu, stretching as he prepared to follow Ash down to the Cerulean City pokecenter's cafeteria. "Oh, are you coming, too?" asked Ash. "Pika-pika! Pikachu!" answered Ash. "Yeah, I bet they do have some ketchup," chuckled Ash. He opened the door and let Pikachu out, then followed his friend downstairs. 

Ash's stomach growled as he entered the cafeteria. He heard someone laughing at one of the tables, and saw Brock sitting there grinning at him when he looked to see who it was. "Hungry?" Brock teased. "Boy, am I!" Ash replied, "What's there to eat around here?" Brock's grin widened, "Not much left, besides ketchup!" "What?!" Ash asked, crestfallen. "Pika!" Pikachu said excitedly. "Just kidding, Ash, though they do have some ketchup packets," he added, winking at Pikachu. (Brock winked? Damn, I missed it!) "Oh, good! I'm gonna grab some food, cause I'm *really* hungry," said Ash. "Hurry up, Ash. I'm bored and I want somebody to talk to. Nurse Joy went out on an emergency call, so I've been sitting down here bored out of my mind!" Brock rambled. Ash payed little attention as he wandered over to the vending machines and searched for something large enough to satiate him. 

"Pikapika!" Pikachu said, reminding Ash that he needed to get some ketchup as well. "Okay, Pikachu, I'll have some for ya in a sec!" replied Ash, rolling his eyes. He selected a light dinner for himself: a double cheesburger, two bags of chips, a few pastries for dessert, and a bottle of lemonade to wash it all down. 'I hope this fills me up,' thought Ash, 'or I'll have to raid the cafeteria later tonight for a midnight snack...guess I'll probably do that anyway.' "So Brock," Ash said as he sat down at the table across from his squinty-eyed friend, "What was the emergency?" "What emergency are you talking about?" questioned Brock. "The one that called Nurse Joy away. I hope it wasn't an injured pokemon!" said Ash, who then began stuffing his face as though pokemon were the last thing on him mind. "Chu!" said Pikachu, demanding attention. "Mmmfkay Pikmmmchu," Ash muttered through a mouthfull of cheeseburger. He tossed Pikachu a few ketchup packets. "Chaaaaa..." Pikachu sighed contentedly as he ripped the packets open and began gulping down the red liquid inside. 

"Pikachu, careful to not get that in your fur," said Brock, "Ash is tired of cleaning it out everyday." "Pika." "What the heck does that mean?" said Brock, clueless. Ash may be able to understand Pikachu, but it was an art that Brock had proven himself quite inept at. "He said, 'alright'," explained Ash after he swallowed another bite of burger, chips, and lemonade. "Don't eat so fast Ash. It'll give you stomach cramps," teased Brock. "Yeah, whatever. Misty says I have a cast-iron stomach," Ash said haughtily, "I think I can take a few chips and some lemonade." 

"You *do* know I didn't really mean that as a compliment, right Ash?" Misty asked as she entered the cafeteria. "Oh, hey Mist," Ash greeted her. "Hey yourself," she replied, grinning. "Got enough food there?" "Actually, I was thinking about seconds," he told her. Misty sweatdropped. "Ash, how can you eat so much?" asked Brock. "Well, I guess all the walking we do, plus all the pokemon training I do just adds up. I'm *always* hungry when I'm on the road." "Yeah, but that's because you don't eat as much or as well as you do when you're at home," commented Misty. "Wow, I never thought of that!" 

Misty shook her head as she headed over to the vending machines and selected a fruit salad and some juice. "While we're talking about food, Misty, I don't see how you can eat so little and not be hungry," said Ash. "I'm just trying to keep me girlish figure." "From what I can see it must be working," Ash said quietly aside to Brock, who nodded in response. Ash then looked back over at Misty to find she had a few veins popping out of her head. "Umm...Misty? Did I say something wrong?" Ash sounded more than a little nervous and began edging out of his seat. To his surprise, she didn't even yell at him. She simply turned her nose up with a little "Huh!" and stormed out of the breakroom with her food. 

Ash looked over at Brock with an expression of confusion and concern. "Brock, when has Misty ever acted like that?" "Since never," Brock said, his own brow knitting together in worry. "Do you think I should go apologize?" "No, I'd give her a little while to cool down..." said Brock. "Hey, Brock, why do you think she did that?" "I don't know. Personally I would have thought she would take that as a compliment." "That's what it was..." Ash said in dejected tones. 'Why is she always angry at me?' 

Ash sighed heavily as he stood up, his food forgotten. "I'm gonna go for a walk. I'll be back later," he told Brock. Ash stepped through the cafeteria door with Pikachu in hot pursuit. The worried look on Brock's face didn't disappear as Ash left. In fact, it became even more grave. 'They've been fighting more and more lately. I don't know what to do about it anymore...' Brock decided he should take a little time and think long and hard to find a solution to this problem. 'I need some help with this one,' thought Brock, 'I can't do this on my own...' 

***

"Like, what are you doing here Brock?" asked Daisy in her bubbly voice. "Gaaa..." Brock started drooling at the sight of Misty's elder sister. 'Gotta focus...' Brock told himself. 'Discipline! Discipline! Disci...pretty...' "Ummm...I need to talk to you about your sister," Brock began shaking himself to clear his mind. He had decided that the best course of action was to seek help from his friends' relatives. Daisy seemed the best choice to talk to about Misty, as she was the least bubbly of the Sensational Sisters, so Brock had left for Cerulean, leaving a note explaining that he would be gone a few days for Ash and Misty to find. He hoped he had made the right decision, but knew that it was too late to change his plans now. 

"What? You mean, like, Misty?" asked Daisy. She began to look concerned. "Is everything, like, okay?" Brock was suddenly embarassed at making her worry. "Well...Misty's okay of course, but she and Ash are fighting. I mean *really* fighting, not the stuff you've seen. They don't just argue anymore. They've not been on speaking terms for a few days. I'm really worried about them," Brock said, getting straight to the point. "So, like, why are you here instead of helping them out?" "I don't know what to do anymore, Daisy. I've tried everything I can think of and nothing has worked so far. You're Misty's sister. I thought maybe you would have some ideas..." Brock's voice trailed off, knowing there was little chance that Daisy could really help him out. 

"I could, like, talk to her about it I guess," Daisy said ponderously. "Other than that, I don't have a clue." "Thanks, Daisy. I knew if any of Misty's sisters could help, you could." Brock turned to leave the Cerulean gym. "Wait, Brock. Are you, like, leaving already?" "Yeah," he said, continuing toward the exit, "I still have to talk to Mrs. Ketchum, so I'm heading to Pallet Town. "Oh...." said Daisy sadly. "Ummm...Brock?" Brock paused just inside the doorway. "Yeah?" "Do you...want to stay here tonight? You can, like, leave in the morning." Brock turned to look at her and she suddenly looked a little flushed. "I mean, you can like, leave in the morning or whatever. It's just that you're traveling alone and all, so I don't really like the thought of you wandering through the woods at night..." 'Wow, I never noticed how, like, cute he is. I guess it's because he's always been with Misty and her "boyfriend".' 

"Umm, sure Daisy," said Brock, blushing at the attention he was receiving from her. "So, like, have you eaten dinner yet?" she asked. "No..." 'Is she asking me out on a dinner date? That can't be right...' Brock was getting a little confused. He was also doing exactly what he told himself he would not do: he was losing his focus on his mission. "You wanna go out and grab a bite?" she asked shyly. 'What? I can't believe she said that! Oh, happy day!' Brock tried to calm himself down as his heart thumped in his chest. "Sh-sh-sure!" he finally stammered. "Great. Maybe we can, like, go to a movie afterwards?" she asked hopefully. She too had completely forgotten about Misty's problem. 

***

Earlier, back at the Cerulean City pokecenter, Ash was just returning from his walk. "I wonder where Brock is?" he asked Pikachu. "Pika," his pokefriend replied. "Yeah, let's check the room," said Ash. He walked up a flight of stairs to the guest rooms, fumbled in his pocket for his room key, then opened the door. "Brock?" No response. "I guess he's downstairs. Maybe Joy came back..." Ash said in a pittying tone. 'Poor Joy. Brock *always* hits on her. ...I wonder if she gets annoyed, or if she actually enjoys it,' thought Ash. "What do you think, Pikachu? You think Joy likes Brock?" "Pika..." "You're right. I don't think *anybody* could like Brock as much as he likes women." Ash yawned. "I'm kinda tired. I think I'll take a nap," he told the pokemon that was sitting on his shoulder. Pikachu hopped down and jumped up on the dresser. "Pika-pika!" he said, getting Ash's attention. "A note?" He picked up the note that was written in Brock's handwriting. 

"Ash & Misty,

I've got some stuff I've gotta take care of,  
so I'll be gone for a few days. I should be  
back in under a week, but don't wait for me.  
I'll call you tonight and tomorrow morning.

Brock 

P.S. Please try to not fight while I'm gone." 

Ash just stared at the note. "Well, guess it's just you, me, and Misty, huh Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded, then took the note back from Ash. "Pikachu, pikapikachu," he said. "You want to take the note to Misty? Okay, sure." Ash opened the door so Pikachu could head over to Misty's room. "Just knock when you want back in," he told Pikachu, "and if I'm asleep, have Misty let you back in." After standing in his doorway and watching his first pokemon to make sure Misty let him in her room, he shut his door, laid down, and promptly went to sleep. 

Meanwhile, Pikachu walked over to Misty's bed and hopped up on it next to her as she sat back down. "Toge, toge!" said Togepi excitedly as it caught sight of Pikachu. "Pika!" said Pikachu in greeting. Then he turned his full attention to the red-headed girl sitting next to him. "Pika..." he said, holding out the note. "Oh, what's this?" She read the note. "So, Brock's gone off, huh? Guess it's just us then, huh Pikachu?" "Pika-pika! Pikapi!" "Oh, yeah...and Ash..." 

Pikachu was starting to get worried. Misty didn't seem like herself lately. 'I need to find out what's going on...' Pikachu thought, 'too bad I can't pilfer through Misty's stuff...I'm sure whatever's bothering her is in her diary, but those dresser drawers are *way* too heavy for me to pull out!" Pikachu sighed and decided there was nothing he could do at the moment. He walked back over to the door and asked Misty to take him back to Ash's room. 

Misty walked Pikachu back down the hallway. Pikachu lightly tapped on Ash's door. Misty knocked louder when they got no response. "Ash? Are you in there? Are you okay?" Misty asked. Pikachu looked up at her. She looked concerned. 'Well, that's a good sign...' She tried the doorknob and discovered that the door wasn't locked. She opened it and let Pikachu in the room. "Good night, Pikachu," she told the little mouse-like pokemon. "Pikachu," he replied. 

Just as Misty turned to leave, she heard Ash talking in his sleep. This was nothing unusual, but what he said caught her ear, mostly due to the fact that he said her name softly. "Misty....hate you!..." he muttered. She didn't hear anything but those three words, partly because she was out the door in a flash, partly because she had started crying. 

To understand what happened next, we have to look at what Ash was dreaming about. 

***DREAM SEQUENCE***

Ash was frantic. She was gone. Really gone this time. It hadn't just been a threat. She had left him, and he didn't know what to do. He had to find her...somehow. He raced through city after city, town after town, but nobody had seen her. Just as he was giving into despair, he found her. He didn't know where he was, didn't know how far he had run, but he knew that he had finally found her again. "Misty!" he cried out. She turned, staring at him with cold, emotionless eyes. "Ash, why did you come here? I know you hate me! Why can't you leave me alone?!" Ash was shocked. He couldn't say anything for a few moments. He just stood their with his jaw hanging loose, not believing the words he had just heard. "Misty...I don't hate you! I could *never* hate you, because I love you! I can't stand not being around you! Please, don't leave me alone again!" 

***END DREAM SEQUENCE***

Ash awakened with a start. His clothes were drenched in cold sweat. 'A dream...Thank God it was only a dream!' He heard the door to his room slam suddenly. The force of it brought him completely awake. "Pika!" said Pikachu, running to the door. "What's wrong Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Pikapika! Chupikachu!" "Huh? Misty just ran out of my room?" He didn't know what to do. She was still mad at him. "Pikachu, what am I going to do? She's still mad, but I can't go apologize, because she won't even speak to me..." Ash was giving up hope. His dream was still fresh on his mind. It had been to vivid...so real... He shuddered at the blank stare she had given him. That emotionless stare of utter contempt for him. 

Ash began to cry. He wanted to apologize to Misty, for everything he had ever done and said to her. He wanted to scream. He wanted to hit something. But mostly, he just wanted to be held...and cry. "Pika!" Pikachu yelled, not knowing what to do to comfort his best friend. 'Why is this happening?' thought Pikachu. The pokemon's eyes began to water at the sight of his trainer breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably, so he did the only thing he could do. He jumped up onto his trainer's lap and snuggled against him, trying his best to comfort his inconsolable friend. "Pika--chu," Ash managed to get out between sobs, "Why?" Then he lost all control of his vocal chords and began to softly wail as he cried. 

***

Misty was fighting back tears in her own room. He had said what she most feard. The two words she had heard many times in her nightmares. "Hate you." 'Why is this happening? Why? What did I do to deserve this?' She fought and fought with all her will to hold back the flood of tears, but it was no use. They suddenly came pouring forth. "Togepriii!" yelled Togepi. 'Mommy! Mommy! Don't cry! Don't!' The little egg pokemon waddled over to where Misty was curled up on the end of her bed and snuggled against her neck. "Toge..." it said softly. "To--ge--pi," she sobbed. That was all she got out before the sobbing robbed her of her voice. 

***

Brock had really enjoyed his night with Daisy. They had talked and laughed over dinner, then had gone to a sappy romantic movie. It was 11:00PM before they staggered back into the Cerulean gym, tired but happy. Now Brock was lying in the guest bedroom, smiling in contentment, unaware of the problems that were worsening by the minute back at the pokecenter. 

***

The next day Ash woke up. He had cried himself to sleep the night before. He felt like crying somemore, but his stomach was stealing his attention. He felt physically hungry, but his mind just couldn't stay on food. "Morning Pikachu," Ash said sadly, noticing that the electric pokemon was staring at him with concern. "Let's go get some breakfast." Ash got dressed and wandered downstairs, heading for the cafeteria. He hoped Brock was there, but then he remembered the note. 'Brock, what a time to go girl-chasing...' thought Ash, shooting a mental plea at Brock for him to hurry back. He sighed and picked up a packet of cereal and a carton of milk. He drug his feet over to a table and began to eat. Pikachu sat in the seat next to him, just watching him eat. He didn't even complain about not getting any ketchup. He was too worried about Ash to care. 

Ash looked up as the door to the cafeteria swung open. He saw Misty step into the room. Then she spotted him, turned around, and walked back out. Tears filled Ash's eyes again, and he pushed his cereal away, laying his head on the table and preparing for another round of crying. He didn't notice when the door opened again, this time admitting Nurse Joy into the cafeteria. She looked startled for a moment, shocked to see a crying boy sitting there with a Pikachu sitting on the table trying to console him, but quickly regained her composure as she ran over to him. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly. Red eyes looked up at her as he picked up his head. "She---*sob*---hates me," he managed to choke out before sobbing some more. "Oh, you poor thing..." said Joy as she sat down next to him and hugged him caringly. "Shhhh, it's okay..." she said soothingly. Ash layed his head on her shoulder and continued crying. 

Joy began to rub his back, wondering what she should do. Counseling was not her forte, but she felt awful for him. Ash's sobs began to lessen, then they slowly stopped altogether. He picked his head up and looked at Joy. "Thanks..." he said, sniffling. "Don't mention it," she said, not quite knowing how to respond. She did feel badly for him, but should she get mixed up in something that was really none of her business? Pikachu crawled into Ash's lap and looked up at him lovingly. Ash absently petted him on the head as he told Joy, "Sorry you had to see that. I just...." He sniffed again. "Excuse me if I can't talk about it right now." he finished. 

All three individuals in the cafeteria were too preoccupied to notice a pair of aqua eyes that widened in shock as they stared through the small window in the cafeteria door. 'Now I understand,' she thought, sniffling. 'I hope you have a good life, Ash ...goodbye' 

Misty turned around slowly, almost unable to tear her gaze from the one that she loved. When he was no longer in her field of vision, she ran to her room and grabbed her things. "Toge! Toge!" said Togepi excitedly. He was ready to leave, and always got excited when he got to travel with Pikachu. "Sorry Togepi," Misty said sadly. "I don't know if we'll ever see Pikachu again... or Ash." She gave her little pokemon a brave smile, which quickly dissolved into a sad frown. "Let's go before I change my mind Togepi. I don't know if I can take anymore heartbreak." 

***

After Joy had told Ash he could talk to her anytime, or better yet, she could refer him to a counselor, he smiled sadly and told her that he would keep that in mind. After that, he left the cafeteria and headed for his room. He noticed that Misty's door was open a crack, but wasn't in the mood to go and shut it for her. The last thing he wanted right now was for her to be more angry than she was now. He sighed and stepped into his room, closing the door behind him. 

"Pikachu!" He heard the muffled cry coming through the door, which he quickly reopened. "Sorry..." he said as he closed the door softly and walked over to the bed. "Pikachu..." he said as he stared at the ceiling, "can you think of something I could have done that would make Misty mad at me. Lately, I mean." PIkachu thought for a moment, but couldn't think of anything. "Pikapi, pikachu chu pipika," he said, which means "Ash, you've been really nice to her lately." 

Ash sighed again. He hated what he was thinking, but could come up with no other explanation: she hated him. His nightmare was slowly coming true. He was just glad she hadn't left yet. 

The thought of her leaving hit him like a freight train. "Oh, no!" he yelled as he shot out of his room like a thunderbolt. He raced down the hall to where Misty's door was tauntingly hanging slightly ajar. He froze as he reached for it, afraid of what he might see on the other side, but his had began to move to open it. He had to know if his feared were justified. 

He opened the door...and screamed. Empty. It was completely empty. No luggage, no pokemon, and most importantly, no Misty! He screamed again, a horrible scream of anguish. That brought Nurse Joy running to see what was the matter. She found the boy who had been crying at breakfast kneeling in the hallway and crying even harder than he had been only a half hour before. 

She didn't know what to do. She felt like somebody had ripped her heart out. She felt terrible. She couldn't seem to say anything, no matter how hard she tried. 'I don't know if a hug will help this time,' she thought frantically, 'What was that he said earlier..."She hates me."? Oh, dear. I don't know what to do!" She just couldn't think of anything to do or say that would possibly make him feel better, but her legs wouldn't work. She couldn't move forward to talk to him. She couldn't move back to leave him alone with his pain. She just stood there, her own eyes beginning to tear up. 

Suddenly, her paralysis ended and she ran to the crying boy and hugged him tightly. He held on to her fiercly, sobbing into her shoulder as he had at breakfast. "It's okay...it's okay..." she said, trying to calm him down. Who was this girl he had been talking about, and how could she leave him like this? She gently rubbed his back again, making shushing noises. He slowly calmed again and looked up at her. "Thanks, Joy," he managed to say, giving her a sad smile. "Who.." she began, then shut her mouth quickly. "Nevermind, I really shouldn't ask and you probably don't want to say it anyway," she said. 

He looked at her with red eyes still wet with tears and nodded. "I think I need some time with somebody I'd feel comfortable talking to...not that I wouldn't be comfortable talking to you, JOy, just not with something this emotionally important to me." "I understand," she said, nodding her head in agreement with his assertion of seeking help. "I'm going home," he said as he weakly got to his feet and headed to his room to pack. 

TO BE CONTINUED 

Yes, I know. It's sad. GET OVER IT! Just read the next part. It'll get better. (I promise!) 

Send all flames to: jon_schug@yahoo.com (you can send comments, too!) 

Sayonara,  
Kenshin 


	2. Popstar Resolution

Love Pallet

Episode 2: Popstar Resolution

by Kenshin

A/N: Last time, on Love Pallet, Ash was left heartbroken when Misty ran away to pursue a career as a popstar. What will happen now? Will Ash be able to overcome his feelings of loss and betrayal? Will Misty realize her mistake? Will Brock get another date with Daisy? Find out now, in this episode of Love Pallet: Popstar Resolution! 

  
Brock was sorry to leave Cerulean City and Daisy behind, but as soon as he had awoken the next morning he remembered the reason he had come here in the first place. He jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed. As he was headed for the door, Daisy saw he and yelled, "Are you, like, leaving?" "Yeah, sorry I've gotta rush out, but I'm worried about Misty and Ash. There's no telling what happened last night without me there to mediate." "Like, okay. Call me," she said sadly. He gave her a big grin as he replied, "I will!" 

He ran all the way from the gym to the pokecenter. When he arrived he found Ash's room empty. He check Misty's room next: also empty. He breathed a sigh of relief. 'They must have left this morning,' he thought. "Guess it's time for me to go to Pallet Town," Brock said to himself, "I need to talk to Delia about Ash." 

Brock took his time getting to Pallet Town. He had convinced himself after seeing both Ash and Misty gone from the pokecenter that they had at least stopped fighting. Why else would they both be gone when he got back? It took him until late that evening to make his way to Pallet, and he was tired when he finally reached the Ketchum's front door. 

*ding-dong! ding-dong!* "Hello, who is it?" asked Delia Ketchum as she peered through the peephole. "Oh, goodness," she said, opening the door, "come in Brock." Brock stepped into the Ketchum living room...to find Ash sitting on the couch. "Hey, Ash!" he said, "Where's Misty?" 

Ash gave Brock a look that would have made a Gyrados run home crying for its mother. Brock was completely taken aback. "Umm... what's wrong?" he asked, looking at Delia for an answer. "Now, Brock sweetie, don't get upset if he yells at you," she whispered to him quietly just before the dam broke. 

"What's wrong? What's WRONG?!" Ash screamed hysterically, "Misty is! She left me! She hates me!" Saying those words out loud again was all he could take. He broke down again, curling up into a fetal position. "Oh, dear...there now, sweetie. I'm here," said Delia as she ran over to Ash and hugged him tightly. 

Brock was speechless. He had assumed that this was just another "lover's spat" that the two teens had been going through, albeit much worse than the previous ones. But then, he had thought that was because their feelings for each other were deepening. That was true, if Ash's reaction to Misty leaving was any evidence. But how did Misty feel? Had she really left? Brock's mind struggled to come up with answers, but he had none. 

"Mrs. Ketchum, I'm going to call the Cerulean gym and see if Daisy knows where Misty's gone," said Brock. "Okay, I'm sure Ash will thank you once he feels a little better," she said, patting her son affectionately on the head. His whole body was shaking with each breath as he cried. Brock couldn't stand seeing him like this. This was awful. How could Misty do this to him? 

He looked away from his moaning compatriot and focused all his attention on dialing the videophone. After a few rings someone picked up. He saw Lilly's face appear on the screen. "Like, hi Brock. How's our little sis?" "Lilly, I need you to get Daisy for me," Brock said, putting some seriousness into his tone. "Like, is she okay, Brock? If something's wrong, you should tell me." "Lilly, I don't know where Misty is. She left, and Ash isn't taking it very well. I was gone, so I don't know what happened, but I need to talk to Daisy." "Like, okay, I'll go get her," Lilly told him, sounding concerned. Brock sat in front of the phone for a minute before he heard Daisy say, tentatively, "Brock?" 

He looked up, tears welling in his eyes. "Hey," he said, trying to keep his tone steady. "Hey yourself. What's this about Misty leaving?" "I wish I knew more, but Ash can't stop crying. That's all he said before he broke down. That and "she hates me"," he said gravely. "That doesn't sound good," she agreed, "but none of us have seen her. If we do, we'll keep her under house arrest until you or Ash can get here." "Thanks, Daisy." "Don't mention it, Brock..." she looked like she thought for a moment then asked, "Should I be worried about her? This doesn't sound like something she would do. I had every impression that she liked Ash. A lot, in fact." "Same here. I don't know what could have happened, but we have to find out." 

***

Unfortunately, Misty had already been home. None of her sisters had noticed, but she had snuck in, packed her belongings, and left again. As she sat outside on a park bench in the middle of Cerulean City, she wondered where she would go. She didn't want to live with her sisters, because she was sure they would bring up Ash. Her mind replayed the scene she had seen earlier: Ash and Nurse Joy, hugging tightly, his head resting on her shoulder. She had been rubbing his back. She felt like she was going to cry again, but then she found her resolve. 'If that's the way you want it Ash, then you'll never have to see or hear from me again.' 

She suddenly remembered the business card she had gotten at the talent competition. 'You've found a new life, Ash. Now I'm going to find mine.' 

***

A month passed before anybody heard a peep from Misty. Even then, it wasn't a phone call or a letter. Ash was the first one to hear the song. He was playing his radio in his room while reading a pokemon magazine. He hadn't been out of town seen he had gotten home a month earlier, and he hadn't trained any of his pokemon either. He didn't feel like doing anything. The only small joy in his life was when he let his pokemon out every day to let them stretch their legs and play in his yard. 

As he absentmindedly flipped pages, half skimming an article on the new pokemon transfer service and half thinking about Misty, he heard a familiar voice. It was the radio. He sat up suddenly, jarring Pikachu, who had been curled up on his chest. He didn't even notice his friend's complaints as he sat there on his bed, enthralled by the singing. Then, the song was over. He heard the DJ backannouncing that it was from a new album by "Mistaria", but he had known who it was. Even after hearing only one note. 

He was surprised to find himself crying again. He hadn't cried in a week and a half. He suddenly remembered in vivid detail the talent show, and how he had felt, staring at Misty. He remembered how beautiful she had been, and how beautiful her voice had been. He remembered the record exec, too. Now he understood. She had been planning on leaving all along. This realization made Ash feel numb inside. It felt like somebody had ripped out his intestines. He might have vomitted, but he hadn't eaten very much in the past few days. His mother called up to him, "Ash, come down here! You've been up there for three days, only coming down to eat and let out your pokemon! I feel like I don't have a son anymore, just a stranger living in my house!" 

He knew she was right, so he got up and slowly walked downstairs, Pikachu trailing sadly behind him. Pikachu's usual bright mood, which had cheered a few days after they had gotten home, had now reached a new low. Pikachu had thought that Ash was slowly but surely recovering, and he would be fine in a few more weeks, but the song had hit him pretty hard. 

"Surprise!" said a familiar voice. As looked up to see Brock standing in his living room, along with Jessie and James. Ash didn't even raise an eyebrow. He just plopped down on the couch after saying, "Hi guys," in dejected tones. "What's wrong now?" asked Brock. "I just heard...her...on the radio. She left me to become a pop star," he said, smiling weakly. "She sounded happy..." He managed to hold his tears in this time, but they were plainly visible in his eyes. "Maybe this was a bad time to come," said Jessie, looking at James. "Ummm...will you be okay?" James asked Ash. He looked at the two Team Rocket members and the ghost of a smile appeared on his lips again. "Yeah, thanks. I appreciate you guys coming to see if I'm okay, but maybe you could come back later?" "Of course," said Jessie, standing to leave. When she had heard that Ash was out of commission, she hadn't believed it. Now, however, she couldn't believe how bad he looked. 'The poor guy is taking this really hard...' "Try to feel better soon. We can have a pokemon battle," James tried to sound cheery, "We won't even try to snatch Pikachu, right Jessie?" "Come on, James, let's go..." 

Ash watched the two Rockets go, and then sighed and sniffed a few times after they shut the door. He hadn't expected them to show him support like this and he really appreciated it, but he was just feeling too bad to show appreciation for anything right now. "Ash, I'm going to find her and give her a piece of my mind," Brock stated, standing to show his resolve. "No, just let it go," said Ash, "It was her choice. If that's what she wants, then I want her to be happy." "No, Ash. I'm not going to stand by and just watch. Not this time. This is hitting you too hard. She has to know what it's doing to you." 

Ash sighed again. He could see there was no swaying his good friend's loyalty with words. "Okay, I can't stop you. Just please remember one thing: if she doesn't want to see me, don't force her. That would be worse for me in the long run." "Alright, Ash. Don't worry. I'm sure she didn't mean for it to be this way. This has got to be some kind of misunderstanding." Ash appreciated the kind words, but he didn't see how it could be a misunderstanding. He waved his friend off as Brock left, heading for Stone Records, Inc. 

***

It had been two weeks since Brock had left to talk to Misty. Ash had given up hope of him finding her, when he got a phone call one night. It was Brock. "Hey, Ash! Feeling better?" he looked concerned still. "Yeah, a little. Did you...find it?" he asked, referring to the record company headquarters. "Yeah, I found the hq, put they do their recording and promotions somewhere else. I've got the address, though. Here, right this down. It's closer to you, so you can go talk to her instead." Brock knew this move was a gamble, but if it worked, it would be much more effective than if he talked to Misty. "I...I can't do that Brock. I just can't! What if...what if all the things I've said...all my fears..." Ash looked scared, "what if they're true?" "They can't be Ash. I *know* she cares about you. That's none of us have heard from her. She's afraid that if she sees you, she won't be able to stay away." "But why did she leave?" Brock looked sullen, but kept his voice firm. "The only person who can answer that is Misty." 

***END FLASHBACK (finally ^_^)***

Ash remembered that phone conversation with Brock clearly. That had been four days ago. He was now in Micville, a big recording hub. He was here to find Misty. "Well, Pikachu, I guess I should have expected to hear that song here, huh?" he asked pitifully. "Pikachu," said his friend, trying to make him feel a little better. "Well, let's go find Misty..." he said. 

They had been wandering around town for a few hours looking for the Stone Records recording studio. Ash stopped to ask for directions at a gas station. The attendant told him that they were on the other side of town. He didn't know where the studios were exactly, but he narrowed the area for Ash quite a bit. "Thanks a lot!" said Ash as he walked toward the area the attendant had detailed. Pikachu noticed that there was a hint of a spring in his step. 'Please, don't let her crush him again...' 

***

Misty saw him. She did a double-take to make sure, but it was him. She would have recognized him, even without the Pikachu on his shoulder. How could she not? The boy who had broken her heart. Why was he here? What had she done now, to deserve this? She quickly turned down a side street to escape his notice, but he unwittingly followed her. She sat down on a bench and buried her nose in the newspaper she had been carrying. 'Please, don't let him see me...' 

Ash saw her though. He recognized her immediately. Her legs, her hands, her arms, and her hair. It was her. The girl who had broken his heart. Why was he here? Why was he putting himself through this? The answer came to his mind immediately. 'I have to know...' 

"Misty?" he said quietly, not really wanting to start the conversation, but knowing he had to. "What do you want?" she asked, angrily biting off her words. "Why...?" he asked simply. Suddenly, he was in his dream again. That terrible nightmare where she left him, brokenhearted. "Ash, why did you come here? I know you hate me! Why can't you leave me alone?!" Ash was shocked. He couldn't say anything for a few moments. He just stood their with his jaw hanging loose, not believing the words he had just heard. "Misty...I don't hate you! I could *never* hate you, because I love you! I can't stand not being around you! Please, don't leave me alone again!" 

"You...you...love me?" she sobbed, breaking down for the first time since the night she had left. She had begun to think she was getting over him. She had started to convince herself that she had never loved him. She realized now that it was only the cold numbness of not having him around. 

"Misty..." he said, then repeated louder, "Misty!" He ran to her as she stood there, crying. He stretched his arms out and garthered her up, twirling her around in the air. "Ash...I missed you..." 

***

By the time Ash and Misty returned to his house in Pallet Town, Brock was already there. "Hey Brock," said Ash, grinning. 'He looks just like his old self,' thought Brock, 'guess it went well...' "Umm...hi Brock," said Misty. "Misty?! You found her?" Brock looked a little surprised. "Yeah, Brock. We...talked for a while and worked everything out," Ash said. "It was all a big misunderstanding," said Misty. She looked ashamed. "Now, now, let's talk about this over dinner," said Delia, interrupting. "Mom!" "Hi...Mrs. Ketchum," said Misty. She had looked ashamed while talking to Brock, but she looked absolutely humiliated now that she was addressing Ash's mother. "Hello, Misty. I assume you're staying for dinner." "Yes...that is if that's okay..." Misty said quietly, staring at the ground. "Sure it is, right mom?" asked Ash. "Of course," replied Delia. 

The three teenagers followed Delia into the kitchen without another further conversation. As they quietly ate their dinner Brock kept looking from Ash to Misty, back and forth. He caught them stealing glances at each other so many times he lost count. Delia took notice as well, but declined to comment. Finally, when everyone was done eating, Brock spoke up. "So, what happened anyway?" "What do you mean, Brock? Do you mean when I found Misty or when she left?" "I'd like to hear both stories," said Delia. 

***

An hour later, all four of them were laughing in the Ketchums' living room. "So, you thought Ash was falling for nurse Joy?" asked Delia, chuckling. "Hey, that's my job!" Brock yelled, holding up a shaking fist. Then, he too broke into a fit of laughter. "I had no idea you were crying Ash...I thought you were just hugging her," Misty admitted. "Ah, it's no big deal. I guess you could say *she* was hugging *me*." Everyone chuckled at that. "Hey, Brock, why don't you call her and tell her everything worked out?" asked Ash, winking. Brock blushed a little. "Actually, you can do it." "Huh?" Ash and Misty said together. "Well, umm...I have a girlfriend..." "WHAT?!" Delia joined them this time. "Hey...that's unfair..." Brock complained. 

"So Brock, who is it?" asked Ash. "It's..." "Wait, let us guess!" squealed Misty. "Umm..okay, but you'll never get it right!" said Brock. "Oh, yeah?! C'mon Ash, let's think!" said Misty, linking her arm through his as they sat next to each other on the couch. Ash blushed slightly. "Okay...let's see..." Ash and Misty held a whispered conference for a few moments, then nodded at each other and grinned. "It's gotta be a Joy!" said Ash. "No, it's a Jenny!" Misty disagreed. "You're both wrong." said Brock. "Hmmm...it's Daisy, I bet," said Delia. 

"Huh?" "WHAT?" Ash and Misty each wore looks of disbelief. Brock looked surprised. "How did you know?" Delia grinned. Misty and Brock realized that they had seen that look before on Ash. "Oh, a little...Waterflower told me," Delia grinned. 

"Like, hi honey," said Daisy as she walked into the living room. "Daisy!" said Misty, running to hug her sister. "Like, hi to you too Misty," Daisy tittered. She returned the hug, then walked over to Brock. "So, how have *you* been?" she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Gaa.." His cheeks were burning. "Oh, yeah? Well, Ash has a girlfriend now, too! Right, Ash?" she said, looking at him expectantly. "Hehe, that's right. Nurse Joy!" All the color drained out of Misty's face. Brock's jaw dropped. Delia looked confused for a moment, then she looked a little angry. Ash immediately started laughing nervously. 

"Ahh, Mist. I was only kidding," Ash said sincerely. "That was cruel, Ash! No wonder she left," said Brock. "Oh, come one Brock. You know I've never done anything like that before," Ash stammered. "Yeah, sure. We'll let Misty be the judge of that," Brock said. Delia and Daisy nodded in agreement. All three turned to look at Misty. 

Misty looked like she was about to cry again. "Ahh, Misty. I'm sorry. I..." Ash began. He was cut off when Misty hit on over the head with her clenched fist. "That's for the distasteful joke..." she said. Then she grabbed him and kissed him. "...and that's for coming after me," she finished as she broke the kiss. Ash was speechless. He just sat there grinning. 

"Like, go little sis!" said Daisy. "Wow, so you two are an item now," said Brock, sounding anything but surprised. "Umm...Ash, we need to talk," said Delia. 

FIN

See, better wasn't it? Anyway you know what to do. jon_schug@yahoo.com for anybody with an opinion (good or bad, doesn't matter). Just email me! I'm bored and need somebody to talk to! *sigh* What a loser I am... 

Sayonara,  
Kenshin 


	3. Archaeology 101

Love Pallet

Episode 3: Archaeology 101

by Me! (Kenshin)

A/N: It's Episode 3! ^_~ 

  
*RING-RING-RING! PHONE CALL, PHONE CALL! RING-RING-RING!* 

"Hello, Ketchum residence. Ash speaking," said Ash, answering the video phone. The image of a Muk appeared on the screen. "Hello Ash. You're just the person I wanted to talk to," said a voice. "WAH! TALKING MUK!" Ash yelled, nearly falling out of his chair. "Oh, pardon me. Wrong camera," said the voice. The image switched from the Muk to that of Professor Oak. "Now then, where was I?" asked the Professor. 

"You said something about wanting to talk to me," said Ash, relieved that he wasn't going crazy...yet. He had almost completely recovered from having Misty run away. Three weeks had passed since Ash had found her and brought her back, confessing his feelings for her. 

"Yes, Ash. I need to ask a favor of you," said the Professor. "What kind of favor?" Ash asked. "I need you to accompany a few of my assistants on an archaeological expedition. A colleage of mine has discovered some ancient ruins and wants me to send some help for the excavation he is carrying out." "Uh, sure," said Ash. He could use a vacation from his normal routine. 

"So, where's this excavation taking place?" Ash asked. "On top of Mount Moon," replied the Professor. "Isn't that place really cold?" "Well, yes, I suppose. I've never been there myself, so I couldn't say. Though, I suppose it would be," said Oak. Ash sweatdropped. "Umm...so who's going on this expedition?" asked Ash, trying to get his mind off of how cold this trip was going to be. "Well, just a few of my assistants and helpers, really," replied Oak, "They'll be leaving the day after tomorrow, so you had better get ready to leave soon." 

***

"WHAT?! TOMORROW?" yelled Misty. 'I think she's taking it well,' thought Ash. "How could you agree to go on an expedition to the top of Mt. Moon for who knows how long?!" she asked him angrily. "Well, I guess I agreed to his request before actually listening to it," admitted Ash. "Well, if you can't get out of it I'll just have to go with you!" said Misty. "WHAT? Go with me?" asked Ash, confused. "Of course I'm going with you! I'm not letting you leave me alone, Ash Ketchum!" said Misty. Ash sweatdropped. 

"I would only be gone a week, tops," Ash muttered. "You don't want me to go?" asked Misty. She looked sad, like she was going to cry. Ash started to panic. 'Not again! Not again!' "Of course I want you to go! I just didn't think you would want to!" he said quickly. Misty relaxed visibly. "Why wouldn't I want to go?" she asked. "Well, it's going to be really cold, and probably boring, too." he said. "I don't care about that. All I care about is being near you," she said. That settled the matter: she was going. 

***

When the expedition finally arrived at the excavation site, they found a base camp already set up. Professor Birch had hired a construction company to build several small hut-like buildings to shield the expedition from the cold and house supplies and equipment. "Looks cozy," said Misty. "Y-y-yeah," said Ash, who was shivering in the cold. They had left Pikachu at home, since the mountain was too cold for the little mouse pokemon. 'I think it's too cold for me, too...' thought Ash. 

Professor Birch was waiting for them in the largest dome. "Welcome, welcome! I'm glad you finally arrived," he said cheerily. "We are too, Professor," said Misty. "Yeah, it's freezing outside!" exclaimed Ash. "That is quite true,"admitted the Professor. 

After Birch made sure everyone was inside and had something hot to drink, he began supervising the unpacking, setting up, and storage of the various equipment and supplies that were Professor Oak's contribution to the expedition. "You must be Ash," Birch said as he walked over to the table where Misty and Ash were sitting at, enjoying some hot cocoas. "Yes," said Ash. "Wonderful! I hope your fire pokemon are as strong as Professor Oak says," Birch said. "Uhh, well, I guess my Charizard and Quilava are pretty strong," admitted Ash. Birch clapped his hands. "Stupendous! I can't wait until we start melting the ice tomorrow!" he exclaimed. "Melting the ice?" Ash asked. 

Misty looked as confused as he did. 'Glad I'm not the only one confused...' thought Ash as he tried to puzzle out what Birch was talking about. "What do you mean, Professor?" asked Misty. "Well, we'll be melting the ice that blocking the entrance to those ruins with the help of Ash's fire pokemon!" exclaimed Birch. "But I didn't bring them with me," said Ash. Birch sweatdropped. "You mean...Oak forgot to tell you to bring them?" asked Birch. "I guess so," said Ash, "he didn't mention it when he talked to me." "NOOO! I've been waiting 3 weeks and he FORGOT to tell you to bring your pokemon with you?" he asked. "Well, I did bring some pokemon, but not the fire ones. I thought it would be a little cold for Charizard's tastes," said Ash. 

"Well, what did you bring Ash? Maybe we can get through the ice without Charizard's help," said Misty helpfully. Ash thought for a moment. "Well, I've got Bayleef, Kingler, Tauros...and Ivysaur! We can use Ivysaur's Solar Beam to melt the ice!" yelled Ash excitedly. "Yes...yes, that could work!" yelled Birch as he grabbed Ash's hands and jumped up and down excitedly. 

Misty sweatdropped. "Ash, people are staring," she whispered. Ash looked around and saw several research assistants staring at them. One was walking their way...a very pretty blonde girl. "Hi, Ash," she said. "Uhh, hi," he said. 'Who is she?' he thought. "Oh, Ash! Don't tell me that you don't recognize me! It's May!" she said sadly. "WHAT?!" said Misty/Ash. "Let me guess. Grandpa didn't mention that I was here either," she said, sounding annoyed. "No, he forgot to mention that, too," said Ash. Meanwhile, Birch had decided that he was done talking to Ash, so he casually walked away, leaving the teenagers to talk among themselves. 

"Oh, that is so typical! Grandpa's a briliant scientist, but he forgets everday things so often, I could just scream! He's lucky I help him remember appointments and things, but since I've left the lab to work up here he seems to be slipping again." May sighed in exasperation at her grandfather. "You mean...you work with Professor Oak now?" asked Ash. "Yes, I'm his new chief assistant!" May said proudly, "I do my own research, too." Ash looked impressed. "I never knew you were so..." 'What to say? What to say? Pretty...? NO ASH! Misty's *right there*! You can't say that! Uhh... talented? No...smart!' "...smart," Ash finished after a few seconds. Misty looked surprised, too. "Wow, May. I never thought of your as the book-worm type," she said. "Well, when you put your mind to something, you'd be surprised what you can accomplish," she said. May's eyes gleamed almost evilly. 

***

"Okay, Ivysaur! Use your Solarbeam on that ice!" directed Ash as he stood in the knee-deep snow shivering. "IVY..SAAURR!" his pokemon yelled as it gathered sunlight into the plant growing on its back, then focused it into a powerful beam and launched it at the ice. The ice glowed for a moment, started to crack, then exploded into millions of tiny shards that flew everywhere. "Watch out!" yelled May, diving toward Ash. She tackled him to the ground just before the spray of sharp ice pellets sailed into him. 

When the danger had passed, Ash and May climbed to their feet. "Whew, thanks May," he said in relief. "No problem...Ashy boy," she said coyly, winking at him. "Uhhh..." he said, looking a little embarassed. "ASH! Are you okay?" yelled Misty as she ran up to him, squeezing him tightly. He melted into her embrace. "Yes, I'm fine thanks to May's quick reflexes." If either of them had been looking, they would have seen May get red in the face...but just for a second. "Oh, it was the least I could do," she muttered. 

***

The next day, Professor Birch had assigned Ash and a few of his staff (including May) to start clearing and mapping the ruins. Misty decided to stay at the base camp, since she wasn't needed and it was *very* cold outside. 

"Come on Ash, let's check in here!" said May excitedly, running ahead of the others. "Hey, wait! We should try to stick together!" yelled Ash, running after her. He stopped dead in his tracks as he rounded the corner. "Wow..." May had stopped just as suddenly in front of him. They were both staring at the huge gallery that was spread out before them. The ceiling was easily four times the height of the hallways and chambers they had explored up to this point, making it over 30 feet high. There were large sculptures scattered throughout the room, and there were bass reliefs carved into the walls. A thin venere of ice covered everything in the room, making it look like everything in the room was carved solid blocks of frozen water. "You said it," May finally said. "This is easily the most beautiful room I've ever seen in my life," said Ash. He turned around to call the others to see this, but they weren't there. 

"May, where is everybody else?" he asked. "What? I thought they were behind us!" she exclaimed. She looked panicked. "Stay calm. I think we just got seperated," said Ash, "I know the way out, though...I hope." May looked scared. "Come on Ash, let's get out of here. I'm getting claustrophobic. I don't want to be trapped in here until we're frozen to death!" She latched onto Ash's arm as he led her through several twists and turns. Finally, after Ash had almost given up hope of remembering the way out of the ruins, they saw daylight at the end of a long tunnel. "I did it!" exclaimed Ash, sounding a little surprised at himself. 

Suddenly, there was a faint rumbling. "What's that?" asked Ash as he stopped to listen. "I don't know," said May. The rumbling grew louder. "Whatever it is, it's getting louder...and that could mean closer!" said Ash nervously. Suddenly, the rumble grew deafening and abruptly stopped as the sunlight was blocked off. They were instantly plunged into an eerie darkness that was totally silent. Until May screamed. 

"AHHHHHHHHH!!" Ash covered his ears and waited for May to finish. She was completely panicked now. "Ash, we're trapped! I'm scared!" she cried as she latched onto him and squeezed him tightly. "May...I can't ...breathe..." "Sorry," she said, relaxing her grip *slightly*. "Don't worry, May. They'll get us out of here," said Ash. "I hope so," replied May as she began to shiver. 

***

"What was that noise?" Misty asked. She had been chatting with the Nurse Joy that was serving as the medical officer for the expedition. "It sounded like an avalanche!" replied Joy. They ran outside to find Professor Birch and several of his research assistants and workers frantically digging into a giant pile of snow that stood where the cavern entrance had been only minutes earlier. 

"Is everyone okay?" Joy asked Birch. "I think so. Nobody was hurt out here, but Ash and May aren't accounted for. They may still be inside," said Birch as he continued digging. Misty grabbed a shovel and began digging beside the professor. "Hang on Ash..." she whispered. 

***

"I'm cold, Ash." Ash looked up at May. He was sitting against the wall, waiting for Professor Birch's crew to dig them out. "I am, too," he admitted. She walked over to him from where she had been pacing. She looked agitated for some reason. Ash was glad her fear had slowly left her, but now she almost seemed nervous...or angry. Maybe she was both. She sat down beside him and said, "Let's keep each other warm." 

She cuddled up against him and put her arms around him. "Uhh, what are you doing May?" he asked. "I'm trying to keep warm, what's it look like?" she replied. She definitely sounded annoyed. "Okay..." he said. 

"Are you warmer now?" he asked after a few minutes or her leaning against him with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "A little, but it would help if you'd hug me back..." she said quietly. 'Hug her back?' he thought. "I mean, the point is to share our body heat," she added quickly. "Okay, I guess." He slowly put his arms around her. "That's better," she sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Uhh, May do you have to do that?" he asked nervously. "I'm tired, okay?!" she asked angrily. He decided to drop it. 

Ash was trying to think of something to talk about when he heard digging sounds coming from the entrance. "Do you hear that? They'll have us out in a few minutes," he said happily. 'Oh, shit. I don't have much time,' thought May. "Hey, Ash?" "Yeah?" "Have you ever..." "Ever what?" "Have you ever done this?" she asked. She reached up and bent his head down, then kissed him fiercely on the lips. Ash was too surprised to even struggle. She broke the kiss. 

"What was that all about?" he asked angrily. "I...I thought you would like that!" she said, hurt. "I...I'm sorry I yelled at you, but I have a girlfriend. I love her a lot, and I don't want to hurt her," he explained. "Who?" "Misty." "Oh..." May said sadly. 'What's up with her?' Ash wondered. Did she like him? What about Misty? 'Misty is *definitely* not going to like this,' he thought. 

Suddenly, they heard a sound from the entrance. The archaeologists had broken through. Ash turned to look at the sunlit opening when May launched herself on top of him, covering his mouth with her's. Her tongue slipped past his defenses and her hand snaked its way into his pants. He struggled to get away, but she locked his legs together with her knees. 

"ASH KETCHUM!" he heard a familiar voice scream down the tunnel. "Misty! Help!" he yelled as he finally twisted his neck around and broke the forced kiss. Suddenly, May was hauled off by her hair and Ash stumbled to his feet. "What do you think you're doing with my boyfriend, missy?" Misty said angrily. "Just doing what he wanted," May replied innocently. "WHAT?!" She turned toward Ash, eyes glowing red. "No, no. Misty, it's not like that! I can explain!" he said, dropping to his knees. Misty reached for her mallet. She drew it out slowly. May looked a little surprised, but happy overall. 'Now, when she breaks up with him he'll come crawling to me for comfort,' she thought, grinning wickedly. 

*WHACK!* May flew down the tunnel and through the entrance. "Misty, thank you for believing me! I'm sorry that happened, but she jumped me," Ash explained, relieved. "I knew you were telling the truth," she said. "What? How?" asked Ash, curious as to how she had figured out May's plot. "Simple. I found some the dynamite she used to create the avalanche in the snow that was blocking the entrance." 

Ash was shocked. May had engineered the entire thing. He shook angrily. "I can't believe she would do something like that!" he said. "I can. It seems I have a rival, Ash," she said, teasing him. "Very funny. But you know that nobody could ever compare to you," he said. He walked to her and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Misty." 

***

"Rats, I was so close!" May said to herself, sulking in her room at base camp. She had been pouting for a day and hadn't come out of her room since Joy had treated the head injury she had sustained. Joy had asked where she had gotten it, but May just told her it had happened during the avalanche. May wasn't sure if Joy believed her, but she had dropped that line of questioning, and May was willing to do the same. 

"Why did he have to fall in love with that stupid sensational sister, anyway? It's not fair! I'm much smarter than her, and better looking, too!" She stopped pouting and dried her tears. "Oh, well. Another day, another battle. I'll win him over eventually. And when I do, you'll never see him again, Misty Waterflower! HAHAHAHAHA!" 

***

Ash was a little concerned about May. She was on Misty's black list right now, and he was still mad at her for trying to break them up, but he was still concerned that she hadn't come out of her room. 'I hope she's okay...and I hope she doesn't come after me again!' he thought nervously. "Hey Ash, let's get something to eat," said Misty, who was lying on the other bed in his room. "Okay," he said. 

They walked to the cafeteria, both of them deep in thought. 'I wish Pikachu were here,' thought Ash. "What are you thinking about?" asked Misty. "Oh, I was just wishing that Pikachu was here," he said. "Oh, so you weren't thinking about May?" she asked, nervously. "No, why would I be thinking about May?" he asked, a look of confusion crossing his face. "Oh, no reason..." she said, letting her voice trail off. 

"Misty, I don't like May," he said, trying to convince her. "Well, you sure didn't seem to be fighting her off when I got there. She even had her hand down your pants..." she said. "Misty, don't. I love you, and only you. What May did was just plain wrong. She was trying to steal me from you, but she failed. Now, can we talk about something else?" 

"Well, okay," said Misty, still not convinced. "Misty, why don't you believe me?" he asked. "I just..." she didn't finish what she was trying to say. Ash stopped her by kissing her. As he broke the kiss he asked, "Are you convinced now?" "Not yet, but a few more should do it," she teased. Ash was glad. She was relaxed now and was smiling for the first time since she had rescued Ash from the clutches of May. 

They were passing May's room in the hall now. Ash caught a little of what she was yelling. "...you'll never see him again, Misty Waterflower! HAHAHAHAHA!" Ash sweatdropped. 'Time to get out of here...and fast!' he thought. "Uh, Misty. Let's get something to eat! I'm starving!" he said as he raced for the cafeteria. "Hey, wait up!" she yelled after him, laughing playfully as she went. 

FIN 

As usual, please direct all comments to: jon_schug@yahoo.com 

Sayonara,  
Kenshin 


	4. The Grass is Greener

Love Pallet

Episode 4: The Grass is Greener

by Togeshin *Toge-Toge!* (Who are you, and what have you done with Kenshin?! ...j/k!)

  
Ash was glad to be back in his own bed, in warm Pallet Town. It felt so nice to be able to actually _feel_ his toes again. Not that the top of Mount Moon had been all that bad (after all, Misty had gone with him), but being cold reminded him of being trapped in the ruins with May. 

'Why did she go through all that trouble to try and steal me from Misty?' he thought. "Whatcha thinking about, Ash?" asked Brock. He was sitting on the sofa in Ash's bedroom, while Ash was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Are you shivering, Ash? Let's go outside. It's nice out today," continued Brock. "Brock, did Misty tell you what happened on Mt. Moon?" Brock thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so...why, did you guys have another fight?" 

"No, nothing like that. May, you know--Gary's sister, was there. She's Professor Oak's new chief assistant. Anyway, she trapped herself in an ice cave with me by sealing it with dynamite. She tried to seduce me and steal me from Misty. Misty showed up just before she..." Ash's voice trailed off. He couldn't help but think, what would have happened in that cave if Misty hadn't shown up? Would he have been able to fight her off? What if he had given in to her? 

"Wow, I didn't know. Why don't you tell me these things?" asked Brock, "I'm here for you to talk to anytime. That's what friends do, Ash. They help each other out when they need it." Ash broke out of his contemplation. "Thanks, Brock. That means a lot. Well, nothing happened regardless. Misty dug us out just in time to grab May off of me and send her sailing a few miles with her mallet. She was upset for a while that someone was after me, but I calmed her down. I just hope...I hope May doesn't keep doing things like that." Ash looked a little apprehensive. Brock nodded in understanding. 

"Okay, I'll see what I can do to help. How much do you want to bet that Gary would be a big help on this one?" asked Brock, grinning widely. "What? Gary help me? Never." "I wouldn't be too sure of that. It's either help you out or risk having his sister following you around. Which do you think he would prefer?" Ash thought about this. "You might have something there. He _might_ help if somebody put it to him that way!" 

"Leave that to me," said Brock. (Is it me, or does Brock sound like Darth Vader?) 

***

Later that day, Ash was watching television. There was a semi-interesting show about pokemon makeovers on, and Ash was waiting for the segment on grooming Pikachus. He was quietly chuckling because of a Koffing that was wearing make-up and a wig, when his front door burst open. 

Ash looked up...to find May charging at him! "WAHHH!" he screamed, trying to get away from her, but only succeeding in scrambling half way across the sofa before she pinned him down. "At last, you're mine!" she whispered in triumph. 

"I don't think so, sis," said Gary as he walked through the door, pulling May off of Ash. "Eh-heh, what are you doing here little brother?" she asked. "Oh, just keeping you from shagging 'loser-boy' over there," he said, pointing at Ash and snearing. "He is not a loser! I love him!" she yelled. "Yeah right. You're just lusting after him. It's really pathetic, sis." he retorted. She fought to get out of Gary's grip as he drug her out the door, but couldn't get away. 

"Thanks, Gary!" Ash yelled cheerfully after them. "GRRR! I'm _not_ doing this to help you, loser! I'm doing this for my sister!" he yelled back at Ash. "Sure, sure," Ash said, turning his attention back to the television. 'Thank you Brock!' he thought. 

*RING-RING-RING! PHONE CALL, PHONE CALL! RING-RING-RING!* 

Ash sighed as he got up and answered the phone. "Hello?" he said wearily. "Ash!" said an excited female voice on the other end, "I'm glad I caught you at home!" He looked up at the videophone to find himself staring into a set of gorgeous green eyes. "Gaaa..." Ash could feel his jaw hanging slack and he knew he would start drooling any moment. He tried to snap himself out of it. 'What would Misty do if she saw me acting like this?' he thought. Misty's name finally brought him back in touch with reality. "Uhh...Hi, Erika," Ash said. 

"Ash, I've been wanting to tell you something....but I can't tell you over the phone," she said. Her face was flushed with embarassment. "Would it be okay if I...came over to visit?" she asked shyly. 'What's the deal with Erika?' Ash thought. "Well...I guess that would be okay," Ash admitted. "Yeah! I'll drop by later this evening," she said happily. 

"Wait, later this evening? Where are you?" he asked. It was too late, though. She had already hung up. "Hmm..." someone said behind Ash, making him jump. "WAHH! Don't do that Brock!" Ash yelled. "This could be a problem," said Brock. "Wh-why do you say that?" "I think she likes you," Brock teased. "You're crazy! There's no way that I have **two** psychopathic females after me!" (Oh really? We'll see about that!) 

***Later That Evening***

*Knock-knock-knock* 

'Who knocks at our door?' thought Ash, 'Most people either use the doorbell or just walk right in.' "Coming!" Ash yelled. He was the only person at home right now, since Misty had gone shopping, Brock had gone girl-chasing, and Delia had gone...umm...shopping (yeah, that's it!). 

Ash opened the door. "Hi, Ashy," said the stunning beauty that was standing on his front porch. Ash stood frozen in place. 'Wh-wh-who is this?' "Hello? Ash? Are you okay?" Ash finally recognized her. "Oh...hehe...hi Erika!" he said finally, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Hehe, you're cute," she said. She blushed as soon as she had said this, but Ash didn't really notice. 

"So ummm...can I come in?" she asked. "Oh, yeah. Sure. Come in," he stuttered. He was having problems even stringing words together. 'She's so hot...FOCUS ASH!' "So, what have you been up to lately?" he asked as he sat down in an easy chair. She looked a little disappointed as she sat on the sofa, but quickly covered it. 'I know he's noticed the way I look...but will that be enough?' she thought. 

"Oh, I quit as the Celadon City gym leader. I got bored with the job, so I decided to travel around and try different styles of battling," she said. "Wow, that's cool. I always thought that it was a good idea to have a balanced style of fighting," Ash said with almost no pauses. Talking about pokemon always calmed him down. "Yes, that's exactly what I've been trying to come up with, but its harder than it sounds. I've tried training some ground, water, and bug pokemon, but I can't seem to get into fire pokemon training," she said. 'I've got him talking about pokemon now! I've gotta find a way to change the subject!' 

"Well, if you can't train one element very well you have to make up for it with other elements," said Ash wisely, "So, I would suggest that since you don't like fire pokemon, train your grass and water pokemon well so that you have strong enough grass types to stand up to a fire pokemon and strong enough water types to knock them out with no problems." 'Wow, he's really become a great trainer...he's so dreamy...' 

"I'm grateful for these tips, Ash, but..." she blushed. "Oh, right. You said you had something to tell me," said Ash. "Yeah...well...'how can I put this...oh, just say it!'...Ash?" she finally looked into his eyes. "Hmm?" "I...I didn't just quit my job as gym trainer because I was bored with the work. I also did it because I fell in love," she said. 'I don't think I like where this is headed...' thought Ash. "I fell in love with you, Ash. I want to be near you always. Please, tell me I can stay with you," Her eyes shined with hope. 

'Oh, boy. This is not good. I can't just say "no" because that would be too cruel. I also can't say "yes" because that would be a lie. What am I going to do?!!' Ash thought for a few moments before taking a deep breath. "Erika, I'm very flattered. I had no idea you felt this way about me," he began. Erika sensed where this was going and tears began filling her eyes. 'Oh, great!' he thought. "Please, don't cry. I mean it when I say I'm flattered. It means a lot to think that a girl like you would want to be with me, but I already have a special someone. Erika, you'll make somebody really happy. You're smart, you're a great trainer, and you're beautiful, but I'm already in love," Ash said sadly. He knew this was probably breaking her heart. 

Erika's eyes were shining with unshed tears, but she managed to hold them at bay. "Who?" she asked quietly. "Misty." "I understand, Ash. She beat me to you...but all's fair and love and war...and this is a war for love," she said quietly. Ash almost didn't recognize the words she was saying as a threat. Her tone was calm and her demeanor was cool and collected. He didn't quite understand what was going on until she pulled out a pokeball. 

"Time for Plan B. I choose you...Gloom." The plant pokemon appeared right in front of Ash. "WAHH!" he yelled as he realized what she was doing. Ash panicked as he reached for a pokeball of his own... and remembered he wasn't wearing his pokebelt! "Gloom, sleep powder." Ash felt dizzy as he slumped back in his chair. The room seemed to be spinning and he couldn't seem to muster the strength to sit up or move his arms or legs. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Erika standing in front of him, petting her Gloom and smiling. 

***

'Where am I?' Ash thought as he slowly woke up. He still felt tired, but something was telling him that he needed to wake up...NOW! His eyes snapped open. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was lying on on bed. He was in his room at home, but somehow Ash's anxiety refused to go away. 'Something's not right...' He tried to sit up and found he couldn't move. He was puzzled for a moment, then he began to recall what had happened with Erika. He looked around his room then, and saw Erika standing at the foot of his bed, wearing only some sexy lingerie. 'WAHH!' Ash thought. His brain told his mouth to do the same, but his muscles wouldn't respond. 

"Hello there, sleepy-head," she said sexily, "I wondered when you would wake up." She leaned over onto his bed and slowly crawled toward him until she was right on top of him, her face barely an inch from his own. "Now we can have some fun." 'I've gotta get out of here...but I can't move!' Ash was struggling with every ounce of his willpower, but couldn't even twitch one finger. "Oh, don't try to struggle," she scolded, "Just relax and try to enjoy this. She began unbuttoning his shirt. Then, she took off his belt. She was unfastening his pants when he managed to get a small response from his body. "Erika...don't..." was all he managed to say. 

She froze in place, stopping what she was doing. She looked up into his eyes, which were pleading for her to stop. She looked sad for a moment, but then her face got more determined. "You'll change your mind," she said confidently. When she finished offing his pants, she noticed that he wasn't "excited" enough for what she had in mind. 'Damn, looks like I'll have to put on a show for him.' She started to do a sexy striptease-style dance. All Ash could do was stare at her. He knew he shouldn't look, but he was too mezmerized to look away. 'This can't be happening...' he thought, 'I don't want Erika to be my first time...' 

Someone screamed in the hallway. "AHHHH! A BUG!!" It was Misty. Ash panicked. Would she come in and find him helplessly being seduced by Erika? Would she save him? Would she kill him? Was she going to faint in the hallway? "Misty...I'm coming..." Ash said quietly, fighting the paralysis harder than ever. He started to move his fingers and toes, then his hands. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, then crawled toward the door. 

"Oh, no you don't!" yelled Erika, grabbing Gloom's pokeball. Gloom was called out and paralyzed Ash again. Erika then returned it and looked nervously at the door. 'I hope my bug will do the trick...' "PIKACHU!" Ash heard his pokemon in the hallway. 'Thank goodness Pikachu heard Misty scream. The poor guy's been sleeping downstairs almost all day. "Babysitting Togepi"...yeah right.' Ash then recalled the seriousness of his situation. 'I've gotta get out of here!' 

*Knock-knock-knock* "Ash, are you in there?" Misty was knocking on the door to Ash's room. Erika looked around frantically. Ash's door didn't have a lock. She rushed around to find something to block the door with, making plenty of noise in the process. "Ash?" the voice sounded concerned. "Misty..." Ash managed to say. "Ash, there was a weedle in the..." The door opened a crack, then slammed open fully when Misty saw Erika rushing around, scantilly clad as she was. "Ash? WHO'S THAT?!" Misty finished with a scream of rage. (This could get ugly....hehehehe) "Pikapi! (Pikapi!)" "Hey Pikachu..." Ash said. He was still having trouble moving and talking. "Pika-pika...PIKACHU! (Are you okay...WOAH!)" Pikachu had spotted what Misty had just screamed about: Erika, standing in the middle of Ash's room, wearing only a lacy bra and a frilly pair of panties. "Eh-heh...hi..." said Erika. 

Pikachu and Misty both looked at Ash, confused (in Pikachu's case) and furious (Misty). "WHAT IS GOING ON? ASH KETCHUM, I WANT AN EXPLANATION NOW!" she screamed. She turned to glare at Ash. He didn't seem to be moving. In fact, he hadn't moved since she had first spotted him. "Ash?" she asked, walking over to him, temporarily forgetting about Erika. As she looked at him, laying there, she could clearly see relief in his eyes, but his facial expression was blank. "Erika, you bitch! You paralyzed him!" Misty screamed as she came to the relization. "I can't believe you're trying to seduce him, too!" "You mean...I'm not the only one trying to seduce Ash?" Erika asked. Ash, Misty, and Pikachu all sweatdropped. 

"Heh-heh...I'll just be leaving now..." she said, edging towards the door. (Kenshin cringes, knowing what's coming) *WHOMP!* Erika went sailing across the room, struck the wall, and fell to the floor, unconscious. "Now, let's find you a paralyze heal," said Misty, turning her attention back to Ash. She blushed when she saw he had on only his boxers, but tried to hide it. "Pika..." 

***

When Erika woke up, she found herself lying on the couch in Ash's living room. Her head hurt and she remembered the mallet smashing her against the wall. She remembered most of what happened earlier. She had come to understand several important facts: Ash was in love with Misty and, judging by Misty's actions, the feeling was mutual. 'Do I really love him?' she thought for the first time ever. 'I never questioned it before, but now that I think about it, would I have done that if I really loved him?' She sat up, holding her aching head in her hands. 'Maybe...maybe I don't! Oh, this is too confusing...I don't think I love him. I feel so stupid!' She decided she would apologize to Misty and Ash and try to make it up to them. 

***

"Do you think saying 'I'm sorry' makes up for what you did?! You tried to **rape** Ash!" Misty yelled. Erika flinched. She hadn't thought of what she was trying to do as rape, but she knew now that that was exactly what it had been. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I know that doesn't make up for it...but I can't think of what else to say. I was wrong. I was _very_ wrong. I'm confused and I'm scared now. I thought I was in love with Ash, but I'm not sure now. I just wanted to apologize to you both. I thought...I thought maybe I could stay for a while and maybe find some way to make it up to you?" she finished hopefully. 

Misty looked at Ash, whose expression had softened quite a bit during the dialogue with Erika. "Well? Shall we give her a chance?" she asked him. "Well...okay, but if you _ever_ do that again I can't be responsible for what Misty does." He grinned as Erika cringed at the thought of Misty's mallet. "Point taken," she said. So, it was settled. Ash and Co. had a new friend and partner on their pokemon journey. 

  
*Kenshin stops shuffling through his notes and looks at the screen*....WAH! It's over! Umm....let's see....Review please! I know this chapter wasn't as good as the last one, but maybe it'll get better...or maybe it's hopeless! *sigh* But if you want to hear something interesting...I wrote two versions of the "seduction" scene and couldn't decide which to use soooo I combined them! I must say, that turned out better than I thought it would! Anyway, please please please please please review! 

Sayonara,  
Kenshin 


	5. Introducing Jessica

A/N: Hehe, it's me again. OK, here's the neat thing about this episode: I introduce my first original character _ever_! Go me!!! *Ahem* Anway, I hope you enjoy this episode! I worked... *Jessica yells: **GET ON WITH IT!*** WAHH! Okay, on with the fic! 

((whispering))  
[pokemon translation]  
{author's notes/comments}  
"character lines"  
'character thoughts'  


  
It's a bright, sunny day in Viridian Forrest, and a lone girl is walking north. She looks to be about 17 years old. Her hair is strawberry-blonde and she has a seemingly permanent smirk on her face. "Excuse me," she said sweetly to a man who has just stepped out of a woodland cottage. "Yes?" said the man. "Is this the way to Viridian City?" she asked. "Well, yes and no," he replied. She started to turn red. 

"IS THIS OR ISN'T THIS THE WAY TO VIRIDIAN CITY?" she screemed. "Y-y-yes..." the man stammered. He looked petrified. He had never expected such a sound to come out of this sweet-looking girl. She set off again, huffing to catch her breath after screaming. After a few steps she turned and smiled pleasantly. "Thank you!" she said, before taking off at a run. 

The man scratched his head. "Yes and no. Yes, that's the way, but no it's not the _fastest_ way," the man said quietly to himself before shaking his head and walking back inside his cabin. 'It's going to be one of those days...' 

***

Meanwhile, in Viridian City, a familiar young pokemon trainer was just waking up. *YAWN* Ash stretched and opened his eyes. He sighed in contentment as he saw the most beautiful person in the world sleeping in the other bed in the room. He quietly stood up and walked over to her. "Good morning, Mist," he said as he kissed her gently on the forehead. 

She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "Good morning," she said. She reached up and wrapped her arms around him. This almost caused him to fall over onto the bed with her, but he caught himself. She noticed this and playfully tugged on him, causing him to slip and fall into bed next to her. 

He blushed furiously as soon as he landed. "Uhhh..." he said. She kissed him, this time on the lips. He was beginning to think that they would be there a while, but she got up and tugged at him. "Come on, Ash. Let's go get some breakfast." His stomach growled at the mention of food. She giggled, then said in a mock-angry tone, "Well, I can see you're more interested in food than me!" He grinned as he crawled out of bed. "Only when I'm hungry," he teased back. 

They were still laughing and hanging onto each other when they made their way into the cafeteria. They grabbed some food and started to eat. 

"Hey, you!" said a girl around their age as she walked into the room. "Who, me?" asked Ash. He looked around and realized he and Misty were the only other people in the cafeteria. "Yes, you! What's your name?" the girl demanded. "Ash Ketchum," he said simply, then resumed eating. Misty was staring at the girl with a peculiar look on her face. 'If this is another girl after Ash...' she thought, fingering her mallet. 

"I thought so," the girl said cockily, "You're the one that Team Rocket keeps talking about. My name's Jessica, and I challenge you to a pokemon battle!" Ash looked at her again, but didn't stop eating. He had time for a battle later, but he was busy now. He told her as much as soon as he swallowed. "I'll battle you later. I'm eating now," he said. 

"GRRRR! I challenge you to a battle NOW!" Jessica yelled at him. "Hey, you can't talk to him like that!" Misty yelled back. 'Chick fight,' thought Ash, 'this could be fun.' "Oh, yeah?" asked Jessica. "Yeah!" "I bet he's not that big a challenge anyway," Jessica stated haughtily. "GRRR! Take that back!" Misty was _really_ pissed now. "I won't!" "Yes, you will!" "No, I won't!" "Yes, you will!" "Make me!" Jessica taunted. 

Misty stood up, grabbing her mallet. "Gladly," she said, taking a step toward Jessica. "Umm, Misty, don't you think that's going a _bit_ too far?" asked Ash. "Ash, she insulted you." Ash rolled his eyes. "She said I wasn't that big a challenge. I'll be the one to prove her wrong there!" Ash said confidently. He looked over at Jessica. "Fine, I accept. we'll battle right now." 

***

In a few minutes, Ash had gathered his pokemon and met Jessica outside. "Any rules?" asked Ash. "Yeah, this'll be a best out of three battle! Hope you're ready!" said Jessica. 

(switching to Kenshin's battle format!) 

Jessica: Go, Rattata!  
Rattata: Rattata!  
Ash: Hmm, a Rattata, huh? Alright, Ivysaur, I choose you!  
Ivysaur: Saur!  
Ash: Ivysaur, use your razor leaf attack!

Ivysaur used razor leaf.

Jessica: Watch out, Rattata!

Rattata was hit by razor leaf and fainted.

Jessica: Rattata, return. That was luck! Let's see how you do against...Fearow!  
Fearow: Fearow!  
Ash: Ivysaur, return! Go, Pikachu!  
Pikachu: PikaCHU!  
Jessica: Fearow, use your peck attack!  
Ash: Pikachu, dodge it with Agility!

Pikachu dodged Fearow's attack.

Ash: Alright Pikachu, time to finish it. Hit it with your Thunderbolt!  
Pikachu: Pika...CHU!!!

Pikachu shot a Thunderbolt at Fearow. Fearow got hurt and collapsed. 

Jessica returned Fearow and reached for another pokeball. "What are you doing, Jessica?" Ash asked. "The battle isn't over. I still have a pokemon left," she stated. "No, I won already. You said this was a best out of three match. I won two, so that's it," said Ash. Jessica looked confused. "Is that what a best out of three means?" she asked. Misty sweatdropped and Ash did a facefall. 

"Wow, you're pretty tough," Jessica continued, "Could I hang around with you guys for a while? I bet I can learn a lot from you...plus you're kinda cute." Ash blushed. Misty stepped between them and yelled, "Don't even think about it! He's my boyfriend and I won't stand for yet another girl trying to steal him!" Jessica looked a little disappointed. She peered around Misty to look at Ash. "Does she always treat you like this? I wouldn't treat you this bad if you were _my_ boyfriend." "WHAT?! I'll have you that I've never done anything to hurt Ash...on purpose," she said. She added the last as she remembered the whole ordeal that had gotten them together in the first place (See Episodes 1 & 2). 

"Yeah, whatever. I just want to travel with you guys and learn more about pokemon. Is that okay?" asked Jessicas. "Well..." said Misty, still not convinced. "The more the merrier," said a voice from behind Ash. "So, where have you been, Erika?" asked Misty. She was still trying to keep a close eye on the former gym trainer. "Yes or no?" asked Jessica impatiently. "Sure, if it's okay with Misty," said Ash. "Oh, fine," said Misty. 

"So, who are you?" Jessica asked Erika. "I used to be the gym leader of Celadon city, but a quit to travel around with Ash," she said. "Oh, are you his girlfriend, too?" Jessica asked. "GRRR! Stop saying stuff like that!" yelled Misty. Erika giggled. 'Oh, great. This is going to be one of those days...' thought Ash. 

***

"So, Ash is a good trainer?" asked Jessica. She was sitting in the pokemon center's lounge talking to Erika. "Yeah. He's beaten all the local gym leaders. I'm not sure if he's strong enough to beat the Elite Four or anything, but he's pretty good," admitted Erika. "He beat all the gym leaders? So, he beat you right?" Jessica asked. "Yep. I admit, that's one reason why I'm traveling with him." "Uh-huh. I bet you have a crush on him," she said. "I...I..." Erika stammered. "Yeah, it's pretty obvious after talking to you for a while. I bet you've even made a few moves on him," Jessica continued to ramble snottily. "I'm...I'm not sure if I like him or not," admitted Erika. "Yeah, whatever. I bet you've even thought about trying to seduce him, haven't you? Wouldn't blame you if you tried...he's cute." 

Erika couldn't believe she was hearing this. What was this girl's problem? She would have to keep an eye on her... 

***

That night, Ash and Misty shared the same room at the pokemon center again. They hadn't left yet because they were waiting on Brock and Daisy to arrive. Ash shook his head in wonderment. There would no longer be two or three people traveling with him, but five. He slowly closed his eyes and went to sleep. Misty was already dreaming before Ash had crawled into bed. 

Neither of the sleeping teens heard their room door open a little. A figure peeked in at them and frowned. The door closed. 

***

The next morning, Ash woke up slowly. He felt Misty curled up next to him in bed and smiled. His arm snaked out around her and pulled her closer to him. She rolled over and delicately kissed him on the cheek. He lay there a few minutes holding her close, eyes still closed. He wanted to just stay like that all morning. 

"ASH?!" he heard Misty yell. His eyes snapped open. Misty was standing at the foot of his bed staring at him in shock and rage. He looked over at the figure snuggled up to him. Jessica. Ash tried to jump up so fast he fell out of bed. 

Jessica yawned. "What's all the commotion?" she asked sleepily. "M-Misty! I thought that was you, I _swear_!" Ash apologized. Misty looked at him for a second, then nodded. "Jessica, you tramp! How dare you!" yelled Misty. "Yeah, whatever. He didn't really seem to mind. Plus, you were in the other bed, so I figured you two weren't that serious anyway." 

*SLAP* "Oww," whined Jessica. Her cheek was stinging. "Serves you right, you little pest," said Misty. "Yeesh, what's the big deal? It's not like I tried to have sex with him or anything," Jessica complained. Misty's temper flared and she turned a dozen different shades of red. Ash just stood there watching them fight. He wasn't sure if he wanted to butt in or not, since that might get him injured. 

"If you ever touch him again, I'll make sure you're crippled for life!" yelled Misty, her temper getting the better of her. "Yeah, whatever. I'm leaving," Jessica said, rolling her eyes as she exited the room. Misty was still shaking with rage, so Ash walked up behind her and began massaging her shoulders. "Don't get so tense. You're pretty when you're mad and all, but this is getting out of hand," he said soothingly. She began to relax. "Ooo, that feels good. Could you rub my back, too?" she asked, slowly forgetting her temper. 

Ash gave her a back rub, then they went downstairs to eat breakfast. "Hopefully, Brock and Daisy will show up today so we can get moving again," said Ash. "Yeah, what's taking them so long anyway?" Misty wondered out loud. "I don't know, but I wish they would hurry up," said Erika, joining them. "Where's Jessica?" Erika asked as she sat down. Misty started to turn red again. "Uhh, we don't know," said Ash, trying to change the subject. Erika gave Misty a querying look. Ash sighed and told her what had happened earlier. "I knew she would be trouble," said Erika. "Yeah, whatever," said Jessica as she walked into the cafeteria. Everyone else sweatdropped. 

"Pikachu!" "Hey, Pikachu," said Ash as his pikapal also walked in and jumped up in his lap. ((Where were you this morning?)) Ash whispered to his pokemon. "Pika-pika Pikachu," explained Pikachu. [I was outside helping Erika train her electric pokemon.] Ash sighed. "Really? ((Jessica got in bed with me this morning and Misty nearly killed us both.))" whispered Ash, filling Pikachu in on recent events. "Chaa." said Pikachu. [Oh, brother.] "You can say that again," Ash agreed. 

"Ash, you can understand your pokemon?" asked Erika/Jessica. They looked at each other strangely as they asked the question at the same time. "Uhh, yeah. I've always understood Pikachu," he responed. "I can understand Pikachu, too," Misty said proudly. "Wow, I want to learn to talk to my Gloom," said Erika. "How can you understand him?" asked Jessica. "Well, I don't know. I just kind of understood him since I got him. Misty's understood him since a few days after we met," said Ash. "Ahhh, I thought there would be some secret to it or something," Erika said, clearly disappointed. "Hmm," said Jessica as she lost herself deep in thought. 

***

"Brock still isn't here. What's taking him so long!?" Misty said, frustrated. Ash sighed again. They had been waiting two days at this pokemon center for him. He was just as tired of waiting as Misty was. They were back in there room, sitting around acting bored. "Why don't we go out and do something?" asked Ash. "You mean, a date?" asked Misty, perking up a little. "Uhh, sure!" said Ash, happy to see her cheering up. "Ok, why don't you go wait in the lobby while I get ready. Maybe you can figure out where you want to take me while you wait," she suggested as she pushed him out the door. "Okay..." said Ash. 

He trudged down the stairs, happy to be doing something, but disappointed that he still had to wait on Misty. He walked into the lobby and stepped up to the counter. "Hello, can I help you?" asked Nurse Joy. "Uhh, yeah. Where's a good place in town to go on a date?" he asked. Joy blushed. "Well... there's a pretty nice restaraunt a few blocks away. There's also a big park about a quarter of a mile south of here. And there's a movie theater across town," she said, acting embarassed. "Okay, thanks," said Ash, turning to go sit down. 'Oh, he wasn't asking me...' thought Joy, disappointed and _really_ embarassed now. 

Ash sat down to wait on Misty and tried to decide where to go. 'Food's always good,' he thought, 'but Misty might like the park a lot. Then again, there might be some sappy movie on that she would really enjoy...' He couldn't make up his mind. "Huh, what's this?" Ash asked to nobody as he picked up a small sheet of paper that was lying on the table next to his chair. "Hmmm..." He began to read it. 

'Seven Dating Tips for the Hopelessly Unromantic Guy:  
1. Always remember to compliment your date.  
2. Don't argue with your date. Arguing is a big turn-off.  
3. Remember that money is no object. Treat her to what she wants.  
4. Don't mention other girls to your date.  
5. Think of something that a guy in a romantic movie would do, then do it.  
6. If possible, ask your date to dance. Even if you can't dance well, your  
date will appreciate the effort.  
7. Carpe Diem (Seize the Day!) Take the initiate! If she looks like she wants  
to be kissed, then kiss her!' 

'Maybe I should try some of this out on Misty," thought Ash. "Hey, cutie. I'm ready to go," said Misty as she came down the stairs. Ash looked up and immediately started blushing. 'WOW!' She was no longer wearing her usual outfit. Instead, she was wearing a button-up blouse and a skirt. Her suspenders were missing and her hair was out of its pony-tail, flowing freely. (Always remember to compliment your date.) "Wow, Misty, you look great!" Ash said. "Hehe, really?" Misty giggled. Ash nodded, offering his arm. She linked her arm through his as they headed out the door. Just as they went out of sight Nurse Joy sighed. "What a lucky girl..." she said dreamily. 

"So, ummm, where are we going?" asked Misty. 'Oh, I still hadn't decided...' thougth Ash. 'Well, we have plently of time...let's eat first.' "Why don't we grab a bite to eat first?" asked Ash. "Okay." Ash led Misty to the restaraunt Joy had told him about. It was a small French cafe. Ash walked up to the Mater'die and asked for a table. "Ash, are you sure we can get in here? This place looks pretty fancy...and expensive," said Misty. "Ash? Ash Ketchum?" asked the Mater'die. "How did you know my name?" asked Ash. 

"Oh my goodness! You _are_ Ash Ketchum! I will have a table for you in one moment!" said the Mater'die excitedly as he grabbed a waiter and furiously whispered instructions to him. "Umm, I guess that answers your question, huh Misty?" Ash asked, laughing nervously. "How do you know who he is?" Misty asked the Mater'die curiously. "Oh, I'm a _huge_ fan of the pokemon league. I know who all the great trainers and league finalists are. Ash was a favorite to win last year!" he babbled. 'Great, another pokemaniac. ...Well, it did get us in,' thought Ash. 

"Your table is ready. Please enjoy your meal," said the Mater'die as he ushered Ash toward a table that was next to the small stage. A man was sitting at a piano playing slow, romantic music. Misty's eyes lit up as they walked into the restaraunt proper. "Hey, it's even nicer inside," commented Ash. They sat down and pondered over the menus for a while. 'Man, this stuff is expensive all right!' thought Ash. "Hmmm, I'm not sure what to get. It's all really expensive," said Misty. (Remember that money is no object. Treat her to what she wants.) "Order whatever you want. I'm buying, so don't worry about it," said Ash. Misty looked surprised, but smiled. 

Half an hour later they were done eating. Misty had the escargo {Blech!}, which she enjoyed. Ash had ordered the filet mignon, not realizing what a small cut of meat it was. He wasn't too disappointed, however, as it was the tenderest steak he had ever eaten. "That was good," said Ash. He still a little hungry, but he could hold out until dinner. "Yes, it was," Misty agreed. 'Hmm...what can we do now?' thought Ash. (If possible, ask your date to dance.) "Hey, you wanna dance?" asked Ash. "Uhhh, I don't know, Ash... nobody else is dancing." "Well, that doesn't matter. There's music and there's a dance floor," Ash said. "Well...alright," Misty assented. They walked over to the dance floor and began to dance slowly. The piano player saw them and transitioned smoothly into a slower waltz. Ash gave him a thumbs-up behind Misty's back. 'I'll have to tip him before we leave.' 

After the song was over they left the dance floor. Ash paid the check and tipped the pianist. As they left the restaraunt, Misty turned to him. "Thanks Ash. I had a great time," she said, kissing him on the cheek. He blushed. "Well, I had to do something special for a first official date, right?" he asked. Misty's eyes grew wide. "That _was_ our first date, wasn't it?" He nodded. "Do we have time to catch a movie?" she asked. 'I kinda wanted to go to the park," he thought. (Don't argue with your date.) "Sure, there's a theater across town. Maybe we can catch one of those romantic movies you like," he said. 

They walked across town, chatting about random subjects. They reached the movie theater without incident and watched a romantic comedy about a doctor who fell in love with a nurse. Ash didn't get some of the movie, but Misty seemed to enjoy it, so he was happy. After the movie, they headed back towards the pokemon center. "It's almost time for dinner. I wonder if Erika and Jessica have eaten yet," said Ash. "Who knows?" said Misty. (Don't mention other girls to your date.) 'Oops, I goofed," he thought. "Ah, forget about it. Let's just enjoy the rest of the day," he said. Misty didn't seem upset, so he guessed he hadn't messed up too bad. 

They passed the park on the way back, so Ash suggested they stop for a while. They sat around watching some Pidgey play in a fountain for a while. Misty stared at the sky, lost in thought. "Whatcha thinking about?" asked Ash. "Hmm, oh nothing," she said as she came back to Earth. She seemed like she had enjoyed the date a lot. Ash was getting ready to suggest that they leave when another of the dating tips struck him. (Take the initiative!) He looked over at her. She looked into his eyes. He leaned over and kissed her. They sat like that for quite a while, lost in the kiss. When they snapped back to reality, the sun was beginning to set. "Woah, that was..." said Ash, not knowing how to put it into words. "Yeah..." agreed Misty. 

They walked back to the pokemon center hand-in-hand. Erika and Jessica, who had been playing cards in the lobby watched them walk in. Jessica grinned as they walked up the stairs. "Yes! Jessica the matchmaker strikes again!" she said happily. "Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Erika. "I made Misty jealous of me so Ash would take her out on a date, then I left some dating tips lying around for Ash to find so he wouldn't screw it up! I'm such a genius!" Jessica looked almost insanely happy. "Uhh, you do know that they were like that _before_ you showed up, right?" asked Erika. "WHAT?! You mean I wasted all that effort on getting them together for nothing?" asked Jessica. "Yeah. Misty wasn't kidding when she said that Ash was her boyfriend." 

Jessica looked shocked. "But, she didn't act like...I've heard them argue...really?" she stammered. "Yeah. Misty almost _killed_ me when I tried to seduce Ash a few weeks ago," admitted Erika. "Ahhh, and that was a great plan, too," said Jessica. "Well, I'm sure it wasn't totally wasted. The dating tips probably helped Ash out, but your life may be in peril since you acted interested in Ash." 

After a few moments of silence, Jessica's look of confusion disappeared. "Yeah, whatever. I could take that Misty girl on anytime, anywhere." Erika sweatdropped. 'Yeah, Jessica's definitely going to be trouble...' she thought. 

FIN 

  
Jessica: Well, that was dull.  
Kenshin: Hey, I worked hard on that!  
J: Yeah, whatever! Just write the next part so I can start kicking butt!  
K: Just for that, you're not gonna win your next pokemon battle!  
J: Hmph. Yeah, whatever.  
  
Hehe, I've been working on her attitude...think I've just about got it right, too. *Kenshin grins mischievously* Next chapter we'll learn some neat stuff about Jessica. Don't miss it! 

Sayonara,  
Kenshin 


	6. A Dark Secret: Brock's Past Revealed

A/N: I've decided to take a break from writing AAML, so we won't find out the neat things about Jessica in this episode (sorry). Am I an idiot? YES! (Actually, this episode explains why Brock and Daisy weren't in the last eppy. ^_~ Hmmm, sounds interesting...) I will warn you, though. This chapter releaves a deep, dark secret from Brock's past. That means that this chapter is a bit dark, so don't read it if you don't like that kind of stuff...or do. *shrug* Don't mind me: I'm just the writer. 

*sigh* I guess I'll write a disclaimer this time:  
I don't own Pokemon. I don't own Brock. I don't own Daisy. I don't own Baskin Robin's. I don't own lots of things. I _do_ own Jessica (Jessica yells: Hey! You ecchi-baka-pervert!) NOT LIKE THAT JESSICA! (Yeah, whatever.) Well, she's not in this eppy anyway, so what does it matter?

Love Pallet

Episode 5: A Dark Secret. Brock's Past Revealed!

by Kenshin

((whispering))  
[pokemon translation]  
{author's notes/comments}  
"character lines"  
'character thoughts'  


(Kenshin recites the introduction, using his best announcer voice. *ahem*) _Today, we find ourselves in the lovely burg of Celadon. As the sun peaks over the horizon our hero, Brock, {*cough*} is peacefully sleeping in his room at the pokemon center. On the floor. ...Wait, he's sleeping on the floor? Why is Brock sleeping on the floor? Isn't that usually Ash's reserved space? Well, that may be true, but Ash is in Viridian City at the moment, leaving Brock free run of the floor. ...Wait a second, that still doesn't explain why Brock is there now! _

As the sun comes out more we can see the reason why Brock is sleeping in the floor. There seems to be a figure sleeping in the only bed in the room. A female. Yes, that's right. Brock is sleeping in the same room as a girl...and he's not in bed with her. In fact, he seems to have tied himself up so he wouldn't do anything stupid in his sleep. 

But how did Brock come to be alone in a room with a girl? Simple: the girl is Daisy Waterflower, his girlfriend. Even after several months and countless incidents of Brock drooling over other girls, Daisy is still his girlfriend. 

***

***Snore*** Daisy rolled over in bed. She yawned and looked down at Brock. His eyes were closed (as always) and he was snoring loudly. She smiled down at him. 'He's so cute when he's asleep...when he's awake, too.' She giggled at what she had just thought. 

Slowly, Brock began to wake up. He yawned and looked up at her, staring down at him from the bed. "Morning," he said, still yawning. She giggled some more, then asked, "Like, how about we get you out of those ropes?" He smiled as he nodded. 

After the ropes were removed they went downstairs for some breakfast. "So, are we gonna, like, head for Viridian today?" Daisy asked him. She had decided to join Brock on Ash's pokemon journey. "Well, I thought we could stay in Celadon one more day before leaving. We could use a break from traveling, and I _know_ that Ash and Misty won't mind taking a break while waiting for us." "So what do you, like, wanna do today?" she asked. "How about we go out on the town?" "Sounds like fun," she answered. 

***

Later, on the town, Brock was struggling to carry all the bags from Daisy's shopping. "Daisy, I'm glad you're having fun, but can we really take all of this stuff on the pokemon journey?" She thought for a minute. "Like, I guess not, but we have to go through Cerulean to get to Viridian anyway, so we can drop some of it off at the gym," she said. Brock sighed. That meant he would have to carry most of this stuff all the way to Cerulean. Good thing he had been exercising lately. 

"Brock, let's take a break and, like, get something to drink, k?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "Gaa...okay," he said. They stepped into a small ice cream parlor and sat down. "Welcome to Baskin Robin's, what can I get you?" asked a cute waitress. 

"I'd like your..." he stopped himself. He had almost said "your number". 'I've gotta quit doing stuff like that. Daisy would kill me!' "Ummm, I can't decide," he said, laughing nervously. He looked at Daisy. "What do you want?" he asked her. "How about we get a large shake with two straws?" she asked. Brock blushed again. "Umm, yeah, we'll have that," he said. His voice almost squeaked out the last word. 

Daisy giggled. "Brock, you're funny." 'You wouldn't think it was funny if you knew what I almost said. Why am I cursed with being attracted to _every_ woman on the planet? ...except Misty. That's a weird thought. I've never had a crush on Misty. Maybe it was because I always knew she liked Ash so much. Hmmm.' 

"Hello? Are you in there?" Daisy was waving a hand in front of Brock's face to get his attention. Brock jumped. "Oh, sorry. Zoned out for a minute there, didn't I?" He grinned, knowing how idiotic he was acting. "You sure did. What were you thinking about?" she asked. "Hmmm, nothing important really. I was just wondering how Ash and Misty were doing." 

"I bet they're doing just fine. They've been, like, fighting less and less since the whole popstar incident," she said. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I still can't believe how all that happened. One minute everything was fine, the next Misty had run off thinking Ash was falling for Nurse Joy. You know, your sister has an overactive imagination," Brock was pretty much babbling now. "Like, uh-huh." said Daisy. "I can't believe that she and Ash went on as long as they did without admitting their feelings for each other. If it was me, I would have done it right off. None of that beating around the bush stuff for me. No, sir. I'm...babbling again, aren't I?" 

"Well...sorta," she admitted. 'Darn it, Brock. Stop doing that. You need to get ahold of yourself!' "Sorry Daisy, I'll try to curb that old habit of mine." Their shake arrived and they began sipping on it. Brock had never shared ice cream before, but he thought it was a neat way of showing that they were together. {Fighting the corniness...losing the battle...} 

They finished their ice cream and got up to leave. They exited the ice cream parlor and walked aimlessly down the street, looking for something else to do. "Brock! What do you think you're doing?!" an angry voice yelled from across the street. Brock froze in fear. He instantly recognized that voice, and his body just shut down after hearing it. He hadn't heard that terrible voice in years. 

***Flashback***

"So, what should we do today?" asked the voice. "I don't know. Whatever you want, as long as you're happy," replied Brock. "That's what I like to hear. If you keep me happy, I won't abandon you." "Please don't say things like that! Don't abandon me! I love you!" he cried. The cruel woman in the white labcoat smiled at him and laughed. Her nametag read "Ivy". "Hahaha, you certainly are panicky today, aren't you? Well, I suppose I won't abandon you...yet. But remember, if you don't keep me happy, you'll suffer." Brock shuddered as he was reminded of the various torture devices that Ivy owned. He kept telling himself that they were for his own good. That they helped him remember to keep her happy. But deep down inside, he knew that what she did to him was wrong. 

***End of Flashback***

"I-Ivy," Brock acknowledged her nervously. Repressed memories were flooding back to him. He remembered it all very clearly. All the time he had spent with Ivy. All the time he had tried to forget. He remembered it all, from the day he had left Ash and Misty to be with Ivy to the day when Ivy had finally abandoned him for a new pet project. 

"Brock, I've come to take you back," she said, expecting him to follow obediently. '**_NO!_**' his mind screamed at him. "N-n-no!" he said. His voice betrayed how frightened he was. "Brock is everything okay? Who is that?" asked Daisy. She was concerned. She had never seen Brock act this way before, and she didn't want him being remotely near someone who affected him in this way. 

"Who am I? Why, I'm Professor Ivy. I'm Brock's only reason for living," she said, laughing cruelly. Brock's eyes were filling with tears. "No! Stay away from me, you monster!" Brock yelled. "Monster? Is that any way to treat a woman you love?" asked Ivy. "I don't love you! I hate you, you-you DEMON!" Brock raged. His anger was fueled by all the buried and pent-up emotions that were now released by Ivy's sudden appearance. 

Ivy was a bit taken aback. She had expected him to come crawling back anytime she snapped her fingers. 'He has a stronger will than I thought.' "Dont' be ridiculous, Brock. You're coming with me, and that's final," she said matter-of-factly. "He doesn't want to go, and you can't force him," Daisy declared, interposing herself between Brock and the professor. "Hmm, you think that you can stop me from taking him with me?" asked Ivy. "If that's what it takes, then yes," Daisy replied. 

While the two women were arguing, Brock had broken down into tears. 'I won't go through that! Not again! I'd rather...I'd rather die first! But, then what about Daisy? I can't let her get hurt!' Brock turned to face Ivy. "Don't you lay a finger on Daisy," he said seriously. Daisy was surprised to hear the anger buried in his voice. "Hmph, fine. Let's go," Ivy said impatiently. "Oh, no. If you want me, you'll have to catch me," said Brock, grabbing Daisy by the arm and running as fast as he could. 

Ivy growled. 'I have two choices here: follow them or give up.' She thought for a moment. 'I've invested a lot of time and effort in Brock. I'm not going to just give him up without a fight.' She started off after them. 

***

Brock ran for what seemed like days. He ran until his legs refused to carry him any further, then a ran some more. "Brock..." Daisy panted. She couldn't keep going. Brock slowed down, allowing his muscles to relax slightly. Finally, he stopped and took in his surroundings. He and Daisy were in a small clearing in the woods. He had no idea where they were. 

"Brock, what's wrong? Why are you acting so strangely? Did that woman do something to you?" Daisy asked. Her voice was full of concern for him and she wore a pained expression on her face from seeing him in such distress. Her worry ate at his insides, along with the pain he was feeling from having old emotional wounds ripped open again. 

Brock started to cry. He collapsed onto the ground and curled up into a ball, as he had on many occasions before in his room at Ivy's place. He felt warm arms wrap around him and pull him into a sitting position. "What's wrong Brock? Please tell me," implored Daisy. He tried to speak, but couldn't stop crying. After a few minutes he was able to tell Daisy how he used to live with Ivy. He told her how Ivy had mistreated him, playing with his emotions just to see his reactions. He told her how she had punished him for any so-called "mistakes" he made. When he had finished, Daisy's eyes were also filled with tears. She hugged him tightly, as if she were anchoring him to this spot in time to keep the bad memories away. 

"Oh, you poor thing. Don't worry, sweetie. Everything is okay now. I'm here for you. I won't let her do anything to you again, I promise," Daisy said in a soothing tone. Brock held onto her as if his life depended on it. "Thanks, Daisy. I love you so much," he whispered in her ear, letting all of his love and respect for her saturate his voice. She kissed him softly before telling him they should get moving. "I don't think we want that _thing_ to catch us here. We better hurry to Viridian and meet up with the others," she said. 

"No, Daisy. You go without me. If she catches us, she'll take me and kill you. I can't let that happen. I'll distract her while you get Ash and the others," he said. "NO! Don't even think about it! I'm not leaving you alone. We're both going to make it to Viridian, together," she said, her voice taking on a seriousness Brock had never heard before. 

"Umm, okay," he said, not knowing how to react to her sudden outburst. Her eyes softened. "I'm sorry I yelled, but I'm not going to leave you behind. Now, let's get out of here," she said. Brock forced himself to stand up. "Right," he replied. So, they started walking again, hoping that they were heading for Viridian City. 

***

"Damn, I'm lost..." said Ivy as she trudged through the forest. "I'm going to make that boy suffer when I catch him. How dare he run away from me!" She pulled a beeping device out of her pocket. "Aha! My tracking device is working. I'm glad I implanted that thing in him while he was with me," she cackled. She ran off in the direction that the tracking device indicated. 

***

Brock was out of breath. He and Daisy had been running all day. After realizing that they were completely lost, they had tried without success to gain their bearings. When that failed, they picked one direction and blindly ran. "I can't run anymore, Brock. It's getting dark and I can't see where I'm going," panted Daisy. "I know," he said, "We'll have to find a safe place to rest and stop." 

They kept going for a while and found a cave. {Overdone, I know...just work with me!} Brock told Daisy to get some rest and that he would take first watch. "Okay, but wake me up in a few hours," she warned him. He promised to do so. Daisy fell asleep in a few minutes and Brock began to get worried. His mind began working furiously as only a sleep-deprived brain can. 'Why is she after me again? How did she find me? How am I going to get away from her?' His worried thoughts seemed to make him even more tired, and before long he was snoring fitfully, dreaming of dark memories and old fears. 

"Hahahaha!" a voice laughed haughtily from the cave entrance. Brock woke up as fast as lightning, but Daisy was already awake. She was up out of her sleeping bag in a flash as Ivy advanced into the cave, still laughing, a touch of insanity in her voice. "Stay away from my Brock!" Daisy yelled at her. "_Your_ Brock? He was my Brock much longer than he was your's. He's still mine. He belongs to me, and I've come to take him back," she said, as though this were the most logical thing in the world and even a child should be able to understand it. 

Daisy glanced over at Brock. He was curled up in his sleeping bag, covering his head with both arms as if warding himself from imaginary blows. "If you touch him, I swear I'll make you suffer," warned Daisy. Ivy raised one eyebrow. "I'd love to see you try. How about we fight for him? The winner keeps Brock. The loser gets her just desserts." "Fine. I'll beat you and take Brock away so he'll never have to bear the pain of seeing or thinking about you again!" Daisy declared. She balled her hands into fists, nostrils flaring. 

Ivy held her hands out in front of her, striking a karate pose. Daisy reached behind her and pulled out a large mallet with brass studs embedded into the head. Ivy's eyes widened. "I've been saving this thing for a creep like you," Daisy snarled. She charged at Ivy, swinging the mallet sideways with all her might. *WHACK* The mallet struck the wall. Ivy had barely been able to avoid the blow. She was thrown off-balance and tumbled to the ground. 

"You-you can't use that thing! That's cheating!" yelled Ivy, afraid for the first time since Daisy had seen her. "You should have said something before we started!" bellowed Daisy as she swung overhanded at Ivy's prone form. *WHOMP!* The mallet connected with Ivy's skull. Stars went off in front of her eyes as she collapsed, unconscious. Daisy dropped the mallet and ran to Brock. "Brock, are you okay? It's over. She'll never bother you again," she said, hugging him tightly to reassure him. 

Brock peeked out from under his crossed arms and saw Ivy lying on the ground, senseless. "I-it's over?" he asked shakily. "Uh-huh. I'm going to tie that pitful excuse for a human up. You go back to sleep now. In the morning we'll take her to visit Officer Jenny." Brock breathed easier when Daisy finished binding Ivy's arms to her sides and ankles to one another. He slowly drifted off to sleep again with Daisy stroking his hair and whispering to him softly. No nightmares plagued him for the rest of that night. 

***

The next day, Brock and Daisy got up to find that Ivy was awake. She looked at them in confusion. "Who are you?" she asked in a tone that was completely different from the way she had spoken the day before. "Umm, don't you know who we are?" asked Daisy. "No, I don't think so...should I?" Brock and Daisy both sweatdropped. "I guess she has amnesia," said Brock. "Eh-heh-heh, I must have hit her harder than I thought," said Daisy. Brock laughed. 

Later that day, the two teens took Ivy back to Celadon City. They turned her over to Jenny after explaining the whole ordeal to the bewildered officer. Jenny told them that she would place Ivy in custody and would make sure that Ivy did not come after them if she regained her memory. "I hope she doesn't get her memory back," said Brock as he and Daisy were leaving the police station. "Why's that?" she asked him. "Well, now that she doesn't remember how she used to treat men, she seems like a pretty good person. I don't want her to revert back to her old, cruel self. She deserves a chance at a regular life as much as the rest of us." Daisy was surprised that Brock could be so generous toward Ivy, but she was very proud of him. 

FIN 

  
Woah, that was kinda scary. I actually wrote _that_? Who knew that Ivy was so cruel? Who knew that she was the reason Brock got so nervous around women and desperately wanted to please them? Maybe he'll get better, now that Ivy has been "cured" and Daisy is by his side. Maybe. (Jessica: Most of all, who knew that Kenshin was so weird?) Hey! You can't talk to me that way! I made you up! (J: Yeah, whatever.) 

Well, next episode will reveal some details about Jessica, as well as a few more surprises, so stay tuned! (J: Finally.) 

Sayonara for now,  
Kenshin 

{Note to everyone who has reviewed me: Thanks a bunch, people! I really appreciate the reviews, but I've gotta stop writing these things so fast! I'm running out of ideas, plus my finals week is creeping up on me...ah, forget that. I'm not worried about finals. I'll just do my best. Anyway, thanks again for the reviews. You keep reading and I'll keep writing!} 


	7. Birthday

Love Pallet

Episode 7: Birthday Wishes. Forgotten?!

by Kenshin

A/N: Okay, I was originally going to use a different idea for episode 7, but today (the 24th) is my birthday and I thought, 'Hey, I'll do a birthday episode!' so I hope you like it! Flame me if you must, but if you _do_ like it, please review! 

{author's comments/notes}  
[pokemon translation]  
*actions*  
'thoughts'  
"dialogue"  
**television**  
  


(*Kenshin clears his throat and uses the announcer voice*) _Last time on Love Pallet, we learned about Brock's past. After their run-in with Ivy, Brock and Daisy have finally made their way to Viridian City to meet Ash and the others. As the scene opens, Brock and Daisy have just arrived at the Viridian City Pokecenter._

"Can I help you?" asked Nurse Joy. Brock looked at her and for once, he stopped himself from drooling. "Yes, we're looking for Ash Ketchum. Is he checked in, by any chance?" Brock asked her. "Let me check," she answered. 'Isn't that the creepy no-eyes guy my cousins keep telling me about? ...he doesn't look so bad to me. In fact, he's kinda cute. I wonder what his eyes look like...' Joy was absently staring at her computer screen. "Umm, Joy? Are you okay?" Brock asked. She snapped out of it. "Oh, yes. I'm fine. Ash Ketchum is staying in room 11B." 

"Thank you," Brock said cheerfully before he turned to climb the stairs with Daisy, hand-in-hand. 'Oh, drat. Looks like he has a girlfriend. ...hmmm, that can't be the guy they were talking about. *sigh* I'm never going to find a decent boyfriend.' Joy turned back to her paperwork, absently typing away on the keyboard as she daydreamed. 

*Knock-knock-knock* 

"Hey Ash, open up!" Brock said through the door. Ash was startled by the sudden knock at the door. He stood up from where he was lying next to Misty {nothing was going on, you hentais!}. "Coming!" yelled Ash. 

Ash opened the door to find Brock and Daisy standing in the hallway. "Oh, hey Brock!" said Ash. "Brock, where ya been?" asked Misty. "Hi Ash, hi Misty. Sorry we're so late, but we ran into some trouble. We'll tell you, but can we come in and sit down first?" said Brock. Ash stepped back from the doorway and motioned for Brock and Daisy to enter. "Sure, come in," he said. 

"Hey, sis," said Misty as Daisy entered the room. "Like, hi Misty," she replied. Daisy and Brock sat down on the room's couch. "So, like Ash pointed out, we've been gone a lot longer than planned. You see, we ran into Professor Ivy," began Daisy. "Oh, did Brock start chasing her around?" Ash teased. Daisy's face grew angry at Ash's remark, but Brock placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her. "It's okay, Daisy, let me explain it. They don't know," he said. Brock explained the entire adventure, including his past with Ivy. When he was finished Daisy was hugging him tightly. Misty and Ash were completely speechless. "Oh, and one more thing, guys," said Brock. "Umm, sure," said Ash after a few moments. "Please, don't tell anybody else about this or mention it again. I'm trying my best to forget about it like I did before," said Brock. "Okay, Brock. It's as good as forgotten," Misty said, trying to cheer him up. 

"Alright, where are we going now?" asked Brock, jumping up from the couch as if nothing had happened. "Actually, I was planning on staying here tonight and leaving tomorrow morning...if that's okay with everyone else, that is," said Ash quietly. 'Hmm, what's up with Ash today?' thought Misty. "Like, okay with us, right Brock?" said Daisy. "Well, that settles it. We're staying here today!" declared Brock. Misty and Ash looked at him curiously. "Brock, we're not everybody. We still have to ask Erika and Jessica," said Ash. "Like, who's Jessica?" asked Daisy. 

After explaining who Jessica was (to the best of their knowledge, anyway) Ash and Misty took their friends over to the room that the Jessica and Erika were sharing. "Oh, hey guys," said Erika as she answered the door. "Where's Jessica?" asked Ash. Erika sweatdropped. "She's went out..." Erika's voice trailed off. "Where did she go?" asked Misty. Erika's sweatdrop grew larger. "She went...to find a bathroom," Erika finally said. "Huh?" everybody said together. "Well, she said she had to use the bathroom, then she left," Erika explained. "Yeah, but doesn't your room have a bathroom?" asked Brock. 

"Maybe she went out to buy a present," Ash reasoned. Everyone looked at Ash in confusion. "What are you talking about, Ash?" asked Misty. Ash sighed. "Oh, nothing..." 'Hmm, I wonder what's wrong with him today?' thought Brock. 

***

Later that day, Ash was watching television with Brock. The sitcom they were watching went to commercial break. **Danver's Jewelry and Fashions of Viridian City is now hosting a blowout sale! All pokemon charm bracelets and necklaces are an unheard-of 90% off! Danver's offers the largest selection of pokemon apparel in Viridian and boasts that they have charms representing every known pokemon! Hurry in while supplies last!** "Wow, Brock! It would be cool to have a necklace of Pikachu!" said Ash excitedly. "Maybe you'll get one when your birthday rolls around," said Brock. Ash suddenly stood up and walked out of the room. "Hey, Ash! The show isn't over yet!" Brock yelled after him. Ash didn't respond. Brock shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to the television. 

***

"Hey, Mist. Whatcha doing?" asked Ash as he walked into their shared room. She smiled and waved at him. She was playing a board game with Erika, Daisy, and Pikachu. "Pika-pika Pikapi! [I'm winning, Ash!]" Ash smiled down at his pokepal. "Well, don't beat them too badly, Pikachu. You're supposed to be courteous to ladies." Misty grinned at him. "Ash, are you feeling okay? I never thought I'd hear you say something like that," she said. Ash sat down in the floor next to her. "Are we doing anything this evening?" he asked her. She blushed lightly, then asked him, "What do you mean?" Ash turned to face her completely. "I thought you might be taking me out tonight," he said bluntly. "Ash, isn't the guy supposed to take the girl out?" she asked. Ash sighed, "Nevermind." Then he got up and walked toward the door. "Did I say something wrong?" Misty asked her sister and Erika as Ash left without another word. "Like, I don't think so," said Daisy. "Is today something special?" Erika asked. "Hmm, I don't think so..." she said. 

Just then, Jessica walked in. "Hey, guys. I just saw Ash in the hallway. Why is he so depressed? You didn't reject him, did you Misty?" she asked teasingly. "I don't know what's wrong with him..." Misty said, still trying to guess what was wrong. Jessica looked surprised. All four girls tried to figure out what was bothering Ash. Brock burst into the room, interrupting their thoughts. "Hey...Delia just called...it's Ash's birthday..." Brock panted. "Oh, no!" said Erika. "We forgot!" Misty yelled in a panic. 

Quickly, Brock formulated a plan to salvage their screwup and save the day {Misty helped him _a lot_, in case you were wondering ^_~}. Misty set off to find Ash and keep him occupied. 'I can do better than that. I can start making it up to him right away. I just hope that taking him out for a birthday date will buy the others enough time to get ready.' Everyone else got their assignments and rushed around to complete their tasks. 

***

"Hey, Ash," Misty said shyly. She was still embarassed about forgetting his birthday. 'I've never forgotten before,' she thought. "Hey," he responded quietly. "So, where did you want to go?" she asked as she sat beside him on the park bench outside the pokemon center. "Y-you mean you didn't forget?" he asked. "No, I forgot, but I remembered, too," Misty admitted. "That's all that matters," he replied cheerfully. He was feeling better already. "So, where to?" she asked. "Hmm, how about food?" he asked jokingly {that phrase is a direct quote from me. I say stupid things like that _a lot!_}. "Okay, where do you want to eat?" she asked. They were soon walking to a restaraunt. 

"Alright, the coast is clear! Full speed ahead!" yelled Jessica as she spurred Daisy and Brock onward. "Geez, Jessica, not so loud! We don't want them to hear us!" hissed Brock. "Yeah, whatever. They're well out of earshot and eyesight, so let's just go already!" she said, taking off at a run. Brock sweatdropped as he followed. 'She might be more trouble than she's worth...' 

The trio soon arrived at the Viridian mall. They were running from store to store, stopping only at places that would possibly be sources of presents that Ash would like. "How about this?" asked Daisy, holding up a deck of pokemon cards. {couldn't resist} "Hmm, maybe. I've never heard him say anything about those," admitted Brock. "Nah, I don't think he'd like them. He's got lots of _real_ pokemon afterall," said Jessica. "Well, yeah, but he might like to collect the cards of the ones he doesn't have, then go and catch the real things," said Daisy. "Yeah, whatever." They continued arguing about the cards for a few minutes and finally decided to buy a starter deck. They quickly moved on to the next store. 

"I bet he'd like that," said Jessica, pointing to a bicycle in a sporting goods store. "He might, but I don't think that Misty would appreciate it, plus it's a little too pricey," said Brock. "Ohh, what about one of those?" asked Brock in the next store, pointing to a display of board games. Daisy nodded her head. Jessica took a closer look. "Hey! All those games have "strip" in the title!" she yelled at Brock. It was true. There was 'strip bingo' 'strip chess' 'strip parchesi' and several other 'strip' board games. "What? Brock, were you planning on buying that to make Ash and Misty..." her voice trailed off as she blushed. 'He might have been planning on using those for us, too...' she thought. 'Hmm, not a bad idea!' thought Jessica. "No, we better not! Okay let's go!" they all yelled in perfect synchronization, as if they were all thinking along the same lines. They all sweatdropped and walked out of the store. 'I'll be back later...' they each told themselves. {I'm so ecchi!} 

"Alright, one more stop, then it's back to the pokemon center!" yelled Brock as he led the girls down the street by the hands. Daisy and Jessica were hurrying to keep their arms from being pulled out of socket as he rushed along. "Here we are!" he said as he suddenly came to a halt. Both girls bumped into him, knocking him over. "I'm sorry, sweetie, are you okay?" Daisy asked as she helped him up. "Fine, never better," he said dizzily. Daisy helped him into the store and sat him down on a bench. Jessica followed them in. 

"So, why did we come here? I don't think Ash really wants new clothing," said Jessica. "Well, he mentioned something earlier when we saw a commercial for the place. They carry pokemon jewelry here, and he said it would be cool to have a charm necklace of pikachu," he explained to the girls. "Oh, that would be, like,_so_ cute!" squealed Daisy. "You two can stay here. I'll go get it and be right back," said Brock as he hurried to the jewelry counter and started talking to the salesman. 

***

"So, how was your birthday dinner, Ash?" Misty asked him politely. "Great! Thanks for remembering, Mist," he said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He quickly wiped her face with his napkin after the kiss. "Why did you do that?" she asked. "Well, I got some gravy on your cheek," he chuckled. "Oh," she said, starting to laugh as well. "You missed that mouth of yours, huh?" she teased. "Hey, I didn't miss. I kissed you with my mouth, didn't I?" he asked, hurt by her insult. "I'm sorry Ash. I shouldn't tease you on your birthday," she apologized. "I guess you'll just have to make it up to me later," he said, grinning. "We'll see," she teased. "I thought you said no more teasing," he said. She grinned at him again and shrugged as they stood up. They paid the check and headed back to the pokemon center. 

***

"Erika, is the cake all ready?" asked Brock. He had been nervous about just putting it in the oven and leaving somebody else to watch it, but all the girls agreed that he was needed for gift-shopping duty. "Yeah, it looks great! I never knew you were such a great cook, Brock," she complimented. Brock blushed slightly. "Hey, stay away from my man," Daisy said, half teasing, half threatening. "So, you two are going out. Just as I thought," said Jessica, pointing at both of them. "How did you guess?" asked Brock. "It was easy for me. I'm going to be the greatest matchmaker in the world some day!" she declared. {Note: interesting thing about Jessica #1} "I thought it was pretty obvious," interjected Erika. Jessica did a facefall. "It wasn't either!" she yelled at Erika. Erika shrugged and said, "Yeah, whatever." "Erika, I think Jessica's rubbing off on you," Brock warned. 

Before a full fledged argument could ensue, Daisy heard Pikachu yelling to them from outside. "That's, like, the signal!" she yelled to get everyone's attention. "Right, places everyone!" Brock said. 

***

"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash said as he saw his pokepal running up. "Pikapi! Pikachu pikapika! [Ash, happy birthday!]" "So, you didn't forget. Thanks pal!" said Ash as Pikachu leapt up onto his shoulder. Ash petted the pokemon affectionately. Misty pulled him by the hand toward the pokemon center entrance. "Come on, Ash," she said eagerly. Before Ash could ask what the rush was, they were through the doors. "SURPRISE!" four people yelled as they entered. Ash's eyes began to water. "I'm sorry, guys. I thought you all forgot it was...hey cake!" he cut himself short as he spotted the delicious-looking cake and ran over to inspect it closely. Everyone sweatdropped. "Uhh, happy birthday Ash," said Brock. "Thanks, Brock," he replied, "for making this cake." Brock grinned. 'That's our Ash. Always thinking with his stomach...or his heart.' Brock chuckled at that thought. 

"Hey, presents!" Ash said as he noticed the neatly-wrapped gifts for the first time, even thought they were right beside the cake. "Well, why don't you open them first, then we'll cut the cake. It still needs to cool a little," said Brock. "Okay," Ash said as he selected his first present. "This one's from Daisy," he said before ripping it open. "Wow, pokemon cards! I always wanted some of these! Thanks, Daisy." Daisy just smiled at him. "Okay, this next one's from...Jessica," he said, locating the tag. He opened the small box to find journal shaped like a pokedex, complete with a pen that was stored in the spine. "Cool, thanks Jess," he said. "Please, don't call me Jess. My name's Jessica," she said seriously. "Uhh, okay," he agreed. {Hmm, wonder what that was about?} Ash picked up another present. He read the card aloud: "From Erika." He started to open it slowly and carefully, holding it at arm's length. "Hey! What are you doing? It isn't dangerous, you know!" she yelled. Ash grinned at her nervously, then gathered his courage and ripped the paper to shreds. "What's this?" he asked curiously. The box contained only a small slip of paper. Ash fished it out and inspected it. He turned red and looked at Erika. "What's the matter? Don't you like it?" she asked. "Uhhhh," was all that Ash managed to say in response. "Let me see that," said Brock, taking the paper from Ash's hand. He read it out loud. "Gift Certificate. Good for one free full-body massage from Erika," Brock looked stunned. Erika had just made another pass at Ash. Everyone looked at her. Her face had turned crimson. "I...I...I wrapped the wrong one," she said, staring at her feet. Jessica started giggling. 

"What's so funny?" Erika asked angrily. She felt humiliated. "Nothing's funny. It was an honest mistake. I...I'll get the present you forgot to wrap later," said Ash. He quickly moved on to one of the two remaining gifts. "This is Brock's," he said, picking up the large package. He tore it open to find a beautiful hardwood plaque with an engraved metal plate riveted to the front. Ash read the engraving for everyone. "Best Friend's Award presented to Ash Ketchum by Brock Slate on the occassion of his 18th birthday. Thanks, Brock. I'll mail this to mom in the morning so she can put it in my room," he said, smiling at his friend. "Okay, last one. This has to be Misty's," he said picking up the last package. "I know I'm gonna love whatever you got me," he said, kissing her on the cheek. She blushed. 'I have no idea what they got him for me,' she thought nervously as she smiled at him. He opened the package and held up the necklace that fell out. It had a pikachu and a staryu on it, one on each side of a locket. Inside the locket was a picture of Misty. "Misty...thanks," he said as he slipped it over his head and kissed her. "*AHEM* Time to cut the cake," said Brock, interrupting their moment. Ash scratched the back of his head. "Oh, yeah," he said, grinning. 

FIN 

  
Yeah! Episode 7 is done! *Kenshin does the happy dance* Go me! Go me! It's my birthday...wait a sec! It _is_ my birthday! Woohoo! I'm gonna go celebrate! Sorry I dropped so few hints about Jessica in this episode. More will be releaved next time, that it will. 

Send all reviews to jon_schug@yahoo.com! Flames will be dealt with swiftly with a swipe of my reverse-blade katana! 

Sayonara,  
Kenshin (who is now 19!) 


	8. Rocket Girls

Love Pallet

Episode 8: Rocket Girls

by Kenshin

  
((whispering))  
[pokemon translation]  
{author's notes/comments}  
"character lines"  
'character thoughts'  
//loudspeaker\\ 

  
Ash was excited. Today, he would finally return to his pokemon journey. It had been quite a while since he had begun this unscheduled break in his journey (back when Misty had left), but he was now leaving Viridian City with friends both new and old in tow. 

"Finally, we're on the road again!" Ash said contentedly as they all marched along. "Yeah, but where are we going?" asked Brock. Ash stopped in his tracks. He was happy to be travelling again, but he still hadn't decided where they should go yet. "Uhhh, I don't know. What do you think?" he asked. "Ash! This is _your_ pokemon journey. Can't you make up your mind?" complained Misty. He grinned at her. "Well, I've made up my mind that you're the only one for me...but I still don't know where we should go," he said. 

Misty smiled at him, satisfied with his answer. She really didn't care where they went, as long as she was with him. "Aww, that's so sweet!" said Jessica, making a gagging noise. "Hey, at least they're not all over each other...like last night," snickered Erika. Both Ash and Misty were blushing now. Things might have gotten out of hand if everyone hadn't been in the same room with them. "Since it was his birthday, I bet Ash was planning on losing his vir-," began Brock. He didn't finish his sentence due to Misty's mallet knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over, trying to breathe. "Like, that wasn't very nice, sis," said Daisy. She was peaved that Misty had hit her boyfriend, but she knew he deserved it...occasionally. 

"Well, let's just stop fighting. I've made up my mind. Let's go to Cinnibar island," he said, trying to smooth over the tension between his friends. They all agreed that Cinnibar would be a welcome change of scenery, so they began the long trek to the coastline. 

***

"Target in sight, Jessica." "Don't call me that!{hmm}...hey, where's the Pikachu?" "Der it is! It's ridin on de twerpette's shoulder!" "Since when does it like her more than the twerp?" "Who cares? Let's just grab it, or the boss will punish us _again!_" "Dat's right! I can't take anudder punishment like dat last one." James cringed at the thought of more torture at the hands of Giovanni's goons, but knew Jessie and Meowth were right. That was what would happen if they failed again. "Right, let's succeed this time!" he said with a confidence he didn't feel. 

***

"Brock, are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" Ash asked for the fifth time in as many minutes. "Ash, the day you sense our direction better than me is the day I give my gym to you," said Brock flatly. "Okay, okay, but I still don't think we're going the right way," Ash muttered. Before the argument could go any further, Team Rocket jumped out from behind a bush and began to recite their motto. {So lame...} 

"Prepare for trouble!" "Make it double!" "To protect the world from devastation!" "To unite all peoples within our nation!" "To denounce the _evils_ of truth and love!" "To extend our reach to the stars above!" "Jessie!" "James!" "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" "Surrender now or prepare to fight!" "Meowth, dat's right!" "Yeah, whatever," said Jessica nonchalantly. "J-J-Jessica?!" asked Jessie, sounding shocked. 

"Yeah, that's my name," Jessica answered. "B-but why are you here?" Jessie was doing a fair impression of a Magikarp with her jaw hanging slack and her eyes bugged out. "Well, I heard about you and that goofball," she said, pointing at James, "giving Ashy here a hard time, so I decided to see what it was all about. So... how have you been, sis?" {Note: Interesting thing about Jessica #2! (That was the biggie)} 

James, Ash, Misty, Daisy and Meowth were all speechless. Brock only managed to ask weakly, "Wait a sec...sisters?" "That's right, this red-headed blabber-mouth is my flesh and blood sister," said Jessica. "Watch you mouth _little sister_, because I just might have to clean it out for you," Jessie replied automatically. 

"Yeah, whatever. I'd like to see you try it, sis," Jessica said condescendingly. Jessie still wasn't over the shock of the situation, however, and simply asked again, "W-what are you doing here?" Jessica gave her a more friendly smile. "I told you: I'm looking after Ashy. He's a good guy, and I was just waiting for the next time you two tried to screw things up for him." "You mean...you're hear to keep us from bothering him?" asked James. Jessica nodded. 

"Umm, well...we have to bother him...I'm sorry..." began James. Giovanni's goons were still fresh on his mind. He couldn't figure out why the boss always had Jessie, Meowth, and himself always do the dirty work. Maybe the boss liked watching them fail. "And why is that?" asked Jessica seriously. "Well...can I talk to you alone, sis?" asked Jessie. "Sure," Jessica replied, hoping to get some straight answers. The two walked away from the rest of the group. 

"Why the _hell_ are you here?!" Jessie hissed at her sister when they were out of earshot of everyone else. "I already told you: I'm watching out for Ashy," Jessica replied smugly. "Oh, yeah. Sure. I believe that one," Jessie rambled incessantly. "Look, I don't care what you do, as long as you leave Ash alone," Jessica began resonably, "I just can't believe you gave up on your dream so easily..." Jessie's eyes widened as she heard her sisters last mumbled phrase. '...gave up on your dream...' The words echoed through her head over and over, threatening to overwhelm her senses. She could feel darkness welling up to claim her in its forgetful embrace of unconsciousness, but something kept her rooted firmly in the conscious world. Her sister had to know the truth. 

Jessie looked directly into Jessica's eyes and couldn't help but feel tears begin to flow down her cheeks. "Jess...I have to tell you something," Jessie began. Jessica looked concerned. This was something she hadn't expected to happen. She motioned for Jessie to continue. "We...James and I...we're trapped. Team Rocket has us completely trapped. We can't get out." Jessie couldn't continue for a few minutes as she broke down. She noticed through her sobbing that Jessica had knelt down beside her on the ground and was embracing her in a sisterly hug of forgiveness. "Jessie...I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." That was all that Jessica could say. "It's not your fault. It's all my fault, actually. I even dragged James into this. God, I want out so bad, but I'd be dead within the hour if I quit." Jessie smiled bravely at her sister as she continued. "Well, I guess James and I will be tortured again for failing to catch Ash's Pikachu." 

Jessica was horrified. "T-tortured?!" she yelped. She had known that Team Rocket was ruthless in its pursuit of power, but to be so cruel as to torture its own members...this was too much to bear. "Jessie, you're _never_ going to be tortured again. Team Rocket has no claim over you. We're gonna get you out safely," Jessica declared. Jessie looked up at her through tear-streaked eyes. "But...but...but you can't! There's no way that you could help us...even the twerp couldn't take on all of Team Rocket alone." "Ash couldn't do it alone, that's true, but he's got a lot of friends backing him up...including me." Jessica brandished a pokeball. "You're a trainer now? What about your goal to become the world's greatest matchmaker?" Jessie asked. "I haven't given up on my dream. Some day I will be a great matchmaker, but for now a girl's gotta be able to protect herself," Jessica said, grinning mischievously. 

That grin brought back memories to Jessie. Memories of long ago when she played children's games with her little sister. Both of them had been carefree back then. Now, this same grin was more meaningful somehow, as if it were a promise to Jessie that everything would be alright. "Okay, I guess it's worth a shot. It can't be any worse than the alternative," Jessie admitted, giving in. "Fine, but I still want to know about why you gave up on your dream, sis," Jessica prodded. "Well...I never really gave it up. Team Rocket has put a damper on it, sure, but I think I will be able to fulfill my dream some day. In fact, Team Rocket may have provided me with the best chance at fulfilling it." Jessica raised an eyebrow. "You mean..." "Uh-huh." Jessica giggled. {Oh, the suspense!} 

When Jessica had regained her composure she and her sister rejoined the group. They explained what had been decided. Jessica asked Ash for his help, and he agreed to support the plan in any way possible. Brock, Misty, Daisy, and Erika all pledged their support as well. James was so excited that he might finally be free of Giovanni's clutches that he was running around squealing in delight. "Oooo! It's so exciting! I'm finally gonna quit Team Rocket! Oooo!" he squealed. "Settle down James, you're embarassing me. Plus, I don't want anybody to hear us. What if a field agent hears you and reports us to HQ before we're ready to strike?" Jessie hissed into James' ear as she caught him by the collar. His eyes grew wide at the possibilities and he whimpered as he nodded his head in agreement with silence. "Oh, James, don't be scared. We're gonna get out, now. We'll be able to do whatever we want after this. We'll be free," Jessie told him, trying to drag him up from depression. It worked. "Freedom..." James sighed. His eyes were glistening with tears of happiness. This was the first real hope the pair of Rocketeers had felt in years. 

Jessie turned back to face Ash. "Okay, we're gonna have to discuss our strategy. I don't want to screw this us, because that will get us _all_ killed." Misty planted her fists on her hips firmly and nodded. Brock frowned slightly in thought, then said firmly, "Okay, let's do this right guys." Everyone nodded as they sat down in a circle to discuss what they had to do and how they would accomplish it. 

***

"Who goes there?" demanded a Rocket Grunt. "We don't have time to mess with him right now. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on him!" "Pi-ka-CHUUUU!" The Grunt was unprepared for the electric shock and fainted before being able to call out a single pokemon. "Nice work, Pikachu. Let's go everyone!" Ash yelled as they continued into Team Rocket Headquarters. Thanks to Jessie and James' knowledge of the area surrounding the hidden building complex, they had been able to sneak into the headquarters itself. Now that they were inside, however, they were having to battle all of the Team Rocket soldiers stationed at their main base. 

The group quickly sprinted down another corridor. Jessie was leading the way, followed by Jessica, Ash, and Misty. Erika, Brock, and Daisy were bringing up the rear. "How much further until we're at Giovanni's office?" asked Ash as they rushed along. "Not much further," said James as he appeared beside Ash. "WAHH! Don't do that!" Ash yelled at him as he punched him in the arm. "Oww...hey, what was that for?!" James complained. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Ash replied. "Sheesh, I was only scouting ahead. I found out that they're setting up an ambush just around the second corner ahead." Jessie looked surprised. "That's only one hallway before the corridor that leads to Giovanni's office...why are they pulling their defenses back so far?" she asked. "It must be because we hit them so hard and fast," Brock suggested. 

"Well, we've gotta go through them regardless, so let's just get on with it!" Ash said determinedly. "Right, let's go kick so Rocket butt!" Misty chimed in. ((Those two are scary when they agree like that,)) James said quietly aside to Jessie. She nodded in response. 

The company of pokemon trainers rounded the next turn. "Hold on a sec," Brock said before they could reach the next junction. "What is it?" Jessica asked impatiently. "Well, these are Rockets we are dealing with. We know they'll fight dirty, so we need a strategy to defeat them," he replied. "What do you suggest, Brock?" asked Misty. "Let's all rush them with our strongest pokemon. That way, we'll be the ones ambushing them!" Ash's eyes flashed with determination. "Right. Ready, Pikachu?" He glanced at his pokepal to determine his readiness. "Pikachu!" Pikachu said with determination. Ash looked at the others. 

"Go, Arbok!" Jessie yelled. James said, "Wheezing, go!" The two pokemon came out of there pokeballs. "Onix, Go!" "Polywrath, I choose you!" "Go, Gloom!" "Go umm...Fearow!" Everyone else threw their pokeballs and made sure their pokemon were ready. They all looked at Ash and nodded. "Right, let's go!" 

The troupe rushed around the corner yelling orders to their pokemon as they went. "Onix, rock throw!" "Weezing, sludge attack!" "Arbok, bind something!" "Polywrath, use ice beam!" "Gloom, stune spore!" "Fearow, peck them!" The pokemon began attacking the unsuspecting Team Rocket agents. "Pikachu, finish it! Thunder!" "Pi-ka-CHUUUUUU!" Pikachu glowed yellow as he called a huge thunder attack down on the TR members. Those that weren't already knocked out of the fight by other pokemon fainted from the shock of Pikachu's attack. 

Misty looked around. "Is everybody okay?" Everyone nodded after checking on their pokemon. James fidgeted as they started toward Giovanni's part of the compound. "Jessie, I'm kinda scared. Are you sure we can do this?" Jessie smacked him. "James, we can do this! We've come too far to turn back now!" James rubbed his head. "You're right Jess...I just don't want to lose you now. Now that we're so close to freedom. You're the only thing that's kept me going all this time," he said in a quivering voice. Jessica's eyes sparkled. "I _knew_ it! You like my sister, don't you?" James blushed. Jessie turned a little red too, but that could have just been due to anger. "We don't have time for this now! We have to focus on defeating Giovanni!" 

Jessica was taken aback by Jessie's outburst, but recovered swiftly. "You're right, sis." 'I'll deal with you two later.' Ash tapped his foot impatiently. "Can we get on with this? I'd like to finish this so we can get out of here!" Jessie replied, "Yes, let's get this over with." They slowly walked up to Giovanni's office door. Ash reached for the knob. James gulped. Ash's wrist twisted, turning the nob. The door squeaked slightly as it opened... 

To reveal an empty office. "Damn, where is he?" exclaimed Jessie. "Looking for me, traitor?" said a deep sinister voice behind them. Jessie whirled around and Ash followed suit. James could just stutter, "G-g-g-g." "Yes, it's me. I must say, I'm slightly impressed that you two made it this far, though you did have help," Giovanni said, "I suppose I should thank you for finally getting that boy and his Pikachu here. It took betraying Team Rocket to accomplish your mission, but I commend you nonetheless." 

Pikachu was growling, as was Ash. "Grrr, I'll get you Giovanni! Pikachu, zap this loser with a Thunderbolt!" Giovanni shook his finger at Ash as he said, "I don't think so. Persian, take out that mouse with your Fury Swipes." A Persian leapt in front of Pikachu as he started to power up. "Purrr..." *WHAM* The Persian flew threw the air and slammed into the wall. "Meowth! That'll teach you dat I'm still da top cat!" James laughed, "You always did like to make an entrance, Meowth." 

"PikaCHUUUUUU!" A Thunderbolt shot out at Giovanni. "ARRGGGH!" Giovanni went down on his knees from the voltage that ran through his body. "Don't think you've defeated me this easily. I'm still going to win!" He chuckled as he dramatically reached for his watch and pushed a button. The ground began to rumble and the whole building shook. "Wha-what's going on?!" exclaimed Ash. The floor beneath Giovanni crumbled away, and large metallic head rose through the hole. Giovanni stood up on top of it. "Now you will see the true power of Team Rocket." 

Giovanni popped open a hatch and crawled into the robotic head. The head continued to rise and soon the whole building was shaking apart as a pair of shoulders and arms appeared. "Let's get outta here!" screamed James, running around frantically. Jessie slammed him hard, knocking him silly. She drug him out as everyone recalled their pokemon and rushed for the exit. 

Just as they reached the safety of outdoors, Team Rocket's Headquarters collapsed. A giant robot stood in the building's place. It looked like something out of a mecha anime. It was over three stories tall, with a reflective magnesium finish and the giant red "R" of Team Rocket painted on its chest. 

//You fools have seen your last day! Now you die!\\ Giovanni's voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "AHH, what are we going to do?!" James yelled as he recovered from Jessie's stunning punch. "Calm down you idiot!" she screamed at him. Ash looked at Brock. "What do you think, Brock? How can we beat _that_?!" he asked. Brock looked concerned. "A strong electrical attack _might_ do the trick, but we'll probably have to breach that thing's skin for it to have any effect," Brock said, thinking aloud. "How can we do that?" asked Misty. "I have an idea. Why don't we use our biggest pokemon to pound it?" suggested Jessica. "Hmm, that could work..." said Erika. "It's worth a shot! Let's try it!" said Ash. 

"Okay, Onix go!" yelled Brock. "Go, Chrizard!" Ash said as he threw a pokeball. "Go, Gyarados!" yelled Jessica. "What? You have a Gyarados?!" Misty asked, surprised. "Uhh, yeah. I didn't catch it or anything. It was a gift," she explained. The three heavyweights lined up to face off against the TR robot. The robot had already started to walk toward our heroes. It took one small, slow step after another. //As soon as I get over there you fools are finished!\\ said Giovanni. "Umm, he's a little slow, isn't he?" joked Erika. Ash and company sweatdropped. //I-I heard that! You'll pay!\\ 

Giovanni's robot crept closer and closer. "Alright guys, time to show Team Rocket what we can do! Charizard, tackle that robot!" directed Ash. "Onix, bind its legs!" "Gyarados, do something, too!" Charizard took off and swooped down from above the robot, crashing into its midsection. It shook unsteadily, but stayed upright. Onix wrapped its body around the robot's legs, causing it to come to a halt. Gyarados just stood there, looking at its trainer for further instruction. "Uhh, Jessica? Don't you know any of Gyarados' attacks?" Misty queried. "Well, not exactly. That's partly why I never use him." Misty sweatdropped. "Have Gyarados use its dragon rage," suggested Brock. "Umm, okay. Gyarados, try using Dragon Rage!" 

Gyarados nodded and turned to face Giovanni's metal monstrosity. Gyarados began to glow red as it powered up, then it used Dragon Rage on the robot, causing it crash to the ground and lay sprawled on its back. A large dent appeared in its torso. Ash cupped his hands and yelled, "Charizard, use your flamethrower on the spot that Gyarados weakened!" "Char!" Charizard spat flames out of its mouth, melting a human-sized hole in the robot's torso. "Quick, Pikachu! Use Thunder on that hole!" Ash directed. "PIKACHU!" The little pokemon charged at the robot, then let loose a Thunder attack against the giant mecha. The robot began to smoke. //I'll get you meddling...BZZZTTT!\\ {That almost sounded like Scooby-Doo... >_ A rumbling noise emanated from the robot and it began to vibrate. "Ash, let's get out of here! I think it's gonna blow!" Brock yelled. Everyone quickly recalled their pokemon and ran for dear life. *BOOOOM!* The Team Rocket construct exploded, sending shrapnel and debris flying everywhere. Ash and company dove for cover in a thicket just as it erupted. 

As the ringing in his ears subsided, Ash said, "Whew, that was a close one. Everybody okay?" He looked around to check everyone for injuries. Brock was okay, and he was checking on Daisy. Erika and Jessica were slightly dizzy and disoriented, but they didn't seem to be injured. Ash ran over to where Misty was sitting on the ground. "Misty, are you okay?" asked Ash, concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine...but you're bleeding," she said as she stood and started doting over him. She took out a first aid kit from her backpack and removed some gauze. She dabbed at the cut on Ash's forehead, then bandaged it. "Thanks, Mist," he whispered as he pulled her into a warm hug. She squeezed him to her, not wanting to let him go. "That was really close, Ash. I thought we were goners." He kissed her lightly on the cheek. "It's okay, Mist. We're all fine. Let's head to Cinnibar tomorrow, after a well-earned rest." 

Someone tapped Ash on the shoulder, breaking him out of his little world where only he and Misty existed. He slowly pulled out of Misty's embrace and turned to face Brock. He reached over and clasped Misty's hand as he turned, not wanting to break all physical contact with her. "Ash, I've got some bad news," Brock said grimly. Misty's grip tightened on Ash's fingers. "Is it Daisy?" she squeaked. "No, no. It's James. He got hit badly by some shrapnel. We need to get him to a hospital, fast." 

Ash looked toward Jessie, James, and Meowth. Meowth was pacing back and forth in worry, while Jessie was doting over James much as Misty had done Ash only a few moments earlier. "Is he gonna be okay, Brock?" Ash asked in a shaky voice. "I don't know. I just don't know," Brock replied. 

TBC... 

Now, some questions that need answers: Is Erika really still after Ash? Where did Jessica get a Gyarados? What happened to Giovanni? Will James survive? Find out on the next episode of Love Pallet! 

Yeah! I _finally_ finished episode 8! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry about the time delay, but I hit some major writer's block in the middle of this chapter. I may not have any updates for about a week, since I have to study for finals. I'll post again as soon as possible, that I will. As per usual, please review! Send comments and criticisms to jon_schug@yahoo.com! PLEASE! I need input! 

Sayonara,  
Kenshin 


	9. Parchesi!

  


Love Pallet

Episode 9: Parchesi!

by Kenshin

A/N: Sorry for the delays, but I got really busy this past week. Hope you enjoy this episode! 

Disclaimer: Kenshin doesn't own Pokemon...or Ash...or Brock...or Team Rocket...or Misty (sadly). All he owns is the story's plot and Jessica. {Does anybody want her, by the way? She's up for sale if you want her!} *THUD* {Ow, my head! Jessica get back here with Misty's mallet!} 

Errr, oh yeah, the fanfic! 

***

  
"James! Hang on!" Jessie whispered frevently to him as she rode with him in the ambulance that was rushing toward Viridian General Hospital. He was unconscious and his heartrate was very low due to blood loss. "James, please don't leave me..." she sobbed. All she could do was hold his hand and desperately wait for any sign that he might wake up. 

"Miss, we're almost there," one of the paramedics informed her. He then turned to the radio and called in their status to dispatch. "Single victim trauma, inbound to Viridian General. ETA, 3 minutes." The ambulance soon pulled into a parking lot and came to a stop under a large awning. The back doors burst open and a pair of hospital staff members pulled the gurney out of the ambulance. They discussed James' condition with the paramedics as they rushed him to an open trauma room. 

"What's his blood type?" the doctor asked Jessie, a hint of urgency in his voice. "I don't know," she said. "Are you sure you don't know?" he quizzed. "I-I really don't know! He never told me that. P-Please, you have to help him!" she said frantically. The doctor nodded and turned to a nurse. "Get me six units of O neg on the rapid infuser!" The nurse rushed to complete the task. 

"I'm afraid you're going to have to wait outside," a nurse informed Jessie as he gently tugged her toward the door. She fought against his pull. "No! I won't leave him!" she cried. The nurse pulled her harder, but that only resulted in her fighting him more strongly. "Miss, please. Give the doctor room to work," he said. Another hand gently rested on Jessie's shoulder. "Jess, come and sit with the rest of us. James will be fine." Jessie turned to see her sister staring back at her. She slowly nodded before reluctantly following Jessica into the waiting room. 

She sank into a seat in the waiting room without so much as a glance at anyone. "Are you okay?" Misty asked her. "Yeah," Jessie replied in dejected tones. "Don't worry. We got James here quickly and this is the best hospital in the area," Brock tried to assure her. She sighed and looked over at Jessica. "Can I talk to you, sis?" she asked quietly. Jessica nodded. "Alone," Jessie elaborated. Jessica nodded again and stood. "Come on, we can talk outside." 

They stepped out into the evening sunlight. "So, what do you want to talk about?" Jessica asked after a minute or so of silence. Jessie waited a few seconds before responding. "James." Jessica waited for her to continue. "You know, I always liked him, even before we joined Team Rocket. I've known for a while now that he's more than a friend and a partner, but I never knew how much I really cared until I saw him lying on the ground, bleeding and unconscious. Maybe I'm just overreacting, but...I think I love him." Jessie paused, as if she were trying to process and comprehend this information as she said it aloud. Jessie squeazed her sister's shoulder knowingly. "I know what you mean, Jess. All I can say is, tell him. Tell him soon. That and...do you want some help?" she finished with a sly grin. 

Jessie couldn't help laughing lightly trough the tears that had appeared in her eyes. Jessica hugged her sister warmly and smiled at her. "Don't worry, Jess. James will pull through, then we can let him know how you feel. I'm sure he feels the same about you." Jessie looked into her sisters eyes and asked seriously, "Do you really think so?" Jessica nodded, "I do. I know these things, you know, because I'm a matchmaker." Jessie couldn't help chuckling slightly again. "Yeah, but does the matchmaker need help making her own match?" Jessica blushed slightly and fidgeted, staring at the ground. "Oh, come on, spill it! I know you like somebody! Please, tell me!" Jessie asked, shivering with anticipation. "Well...I do like **whisper**" {Yes, Kenshin is _evil!_} Jessie's face lit up. "Really? I never would have guessed." Jessica nodded and blushed again. "Hmm, you always did have interesting tastes...and you picked a toughie, too, but I think you can manage it." Jessica was slightly encouraged by her sister's vote of confidence. "Of course, you still have to find him, which could take some time, but traveling with Ash will help." 

Jessica faced her sister again. "I have an idea! Why don't you travel with us, at least for a while? I don't think the others would mind. In fact, I think they might even enjoy your company." Jessie looked apprehensive. "Do you really think so? All James and I have ever done is give Ash, Misty, and Brock grief," she said. "Now, that's not true at all. What about the times you've helped them out, like when you cheered on Pikachu during the gym battle with Lt. Surge?" Jessica asked. "Well, there were a few times, but mostly we just tried to steal from them. I don't know if they'll accept us or not," Jessie said, still not convinced. "Well, they helped you take down Giovanni, didn't they? I'm sure they know that all the stuff you did wasn't by choice. I think they've forgiven you already." Jessie finally sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right...well, it can't hurt to ask, once James is fit again, that is. Until then, I'll just have to be patient and try to make up for the bad things that he and I have done in the past." Jessica nodded her understanding and led her sister back toward the hospital entrance. 

The sisters walked back into the hospital, both greatly relieved after their talk. 

***

Several days passed, and James was still unconscious. The worst was over, but his body was still struggling to recover from the injuries it had sustained. He had survived the trauma room treatments and the emergency surgery, and was now in intensive care. Jessie stayed by his side every second she had been allowed to. She held his hand hopefully, waiting for him to wake up. 

"Jess, it's time to leave now. Visiting hours are over," Erika said quietly from the doorway. Jessie looked up and nodded sadly. Erika and Jessica were the two people who took it in turns to stay with Jessie. Jessie was glad that her sister and her sister's friend cared enough to do that for her. It felt good to finally have friends, besides James. The others were just as nice to her, but Erika and Jessica were her caretakers: her first real friend and her sister. Jessie slowly stood and followed Erika out of the ICU. "Hungry?" Erika asked. Jessie shrugged. Erika sighed lightly and led Jessie to the cafeteria anyway. Jessica met them there and they shared a quiet meal. "The doctor said that James has a good chance of regaining consciousness within the next 24 hours," Jessica said hopefully after they had finished eating. Jessie's eyes looked up at her sister with a small amount of hope glittering in them. Jessica smiled at her sister and patted her hand affectionately. "Don't worry, Jess. He'll wake up soon." 

***

Jessie was asleep in a waiting room when she woke up to somebody shaking her. "Wake up, sis," Jessica said urgently. She slowly regained consciousness, then her eyes snapped open in panic. "James! What's wrong?!" she asked hysterically. Her sister tried to calm her, patting her hand. "Shh-shh, nothing's wrong. He's awake, that's all." Jessie's panic turned into euphoria. "He's awake? Can-can I see him?" she asked, hoping feverishly. "Yes, that's why I woke you. Honestly, have you lost all rational thought?" her sister asked critically. Jessie stood and took the lead on the way to the ICU where James was being monitored. Jessica shooed her in when she hesitated at the door, then entered after her. 

Jessie stopped in front of the door of James' room; that familiar door she had been through many times. "Sis, what if-if he...I can't!" She backed away from the door, but Jessica pushed her toward it with all her might. "Oh, no. You're not chickening out now! Get in there and confess yourself!" She gave Jessie a final shove, and she was through the door. 

"J-Jess?" said a weak voice from the bed. Jessie's heart fluttered at the sound of his voice. He was going to be okay. "Yes, James. I'm here," she said as she slowly walked to his bedside. "How long was I out?" he asked. "A week." James took some time in processing this information. After a few seconds he asked, "Giovanni?" Jessie had prepared herself well for this question. "Dead. Officer Jenny found his body in the wreckage of that...thing. He's dead, James." Relief swept over James' face. "So then...it's over," he said. Not a question, but a statement of fact. Jessie nodded. "Team Rocket is gone. Most of the old agents have either been captured or turned themselves in," she said, still scarcely believing it herself. James locked his gaze on her eyes. "So...are you leaving then?" There was something in his voice. Concern, or possibly fear. "I-" Jessie began, then shut her mouth. She had to act now, but how to begin? 

"Jessie, I'm glad you're all right." The comment threw Jessie completely off-balance. "B-but you're the one who's..." James shushed her. "I have to say something to you, and I want you to let me finish before you say anything, okay?" She nodded dumbly, wondering what he was going to tell her. 'Maybe he's ready to part ways,' she thought in a panic. Her heart was racing for all the wrong reasons. "Jess, we've always been together since Pokemon Tech," he began. 'And now it's time to go our seperate ways,' she thought sadly, guessing at his next words. "I'm not going to sit here and go through all our experiences, you remember them as well as I do, maybe better. We've stuck together a long time, and I want to ask you to do something for me. I'll give you my reasons as well," he said, waiting for her to give her consent to ask his favor. She nodded, fearing what he would ask. 

"Don't leave, Jess. Please. I don't want you to go away now that Team Rocket's gone," he said, on the verge of tears. Now Jessie was confused. This is not what she had expected to hear. "Why?" she asked. "I would miss you if you left, Jess. I would miss you so much. I would miss you, because I love you," he finished explaining quietly, not daring to look at her. Jessie's heart started pounding faster, fluttering with excitement now. "James..." she began. She couldn't find words, so she reached for his hand and took it in her own. "James, I love you with all my heart. I could never leave you," she said, tears staining her own cheeks. She leaned over him and kissed him softly, sweetly. "Jess...thank you." 

"Awww, that's so _cute!_" Jessie turned to discover her sister leaning against the door frame, a dreamy look in her eyes. Jessie's face turned crimson with anger. "**JESSICA!**" she screamed. "Heh-heh...I'll j-just be...going..." Jessica said, edging her way toward the ICU's exit. "Jessica, get back here! How dare you intrude our moment like this?" Jessica broke out into a full run, spurred on by a strong instinct of self-preservation. "Now, now...Sis, you're overreacting! I'm SORRRRRRY!" she screamed as she sprinted for the hallway. *CRASH!* The ICU door opened just before Jessica could reach it, knocking her to the ground, senseless. "Ahhh!" Erika shrieked when she saw what she had done. Jessie was beginning to calm down a little, so she helped Erika carry Jessica out into the hallway and into a waiting area, though she may have handled her a _bit_ roughly. She quickly regained her composure, however, as the happiness of knowing how James felt was too much to allow her to remain angry. 

"So, how did it go?" Erika asked as they dropped Jessica into a chair to let her recover. "How did you know about...Jessica! Who else knows?" Jessie demanded. Erika sweatdropped and backed away a little. "Umm, just me," she replied, gulping. Jessie sighed and sat down next to her sister's still-limp form. "Yeah, it went pretty well...til sis here interrupted." Erika smiled and sat down, relieved that Jessie wasn't going to maul her. "So, it's just like JC thought, then?" she asked. "JC?" Jessie asked quizically. "My nickname for Jessica," Erika explained, "She doesn't like it, but who cares?" Jessie laughed. "It actually suits her, in a weird way." The two talked about James and Jessica and traveling with Ash until JC started to come around. 

"Ohhh...where am I?" she said, holding her head. She opened her eyes, then squinted them as the light hurt them. "Well, it looks like you're going to be okay. Think you need to see a doctor?" Jessie asked her sister. "Oooo...what happened to me? I feel like a got hit by a jet liner," she said, still holding her head. Her face was scrunched in pain. "Eh-heh-heh, that was me. Sorry, you ran into a door I was opening," said Erika. Jessica chuckled lightly. "It was my fault, too. I was the one that was chasing you...but it was because of something stupid that you did, so I guess it's your own fault, ultimately." Jessica finally opened her eyes fully and sat up. "I don't care whose fault it was. I just want some tylenol." She stood and began to walk unsteadily to the pharmacy. Erika and Jessie rose and helped her down the hallway, laughing at her apparent drunkeness. 

***

"So, when is James being released?" asked Ash, who hadn't been to the hospital lately. He had been keeping Brock, Daisy, and Misty company instead, leaving the three girls to handle anything pertaining to James. (Mostly, he had been spending time with Misty, letting Brock and Daisy have some alone time.) {Note to all you Hentais: Ash and Misty have _not_, I repeat, _not_ done anything beyond kissing. Brock and Daisy on the other hand...let's just say I'll leave that up to your capable imaginations, k? k.} "Actually, he was released this morning," Erika told him. "Really? That's great!" Ash replied. "I'm glad he's okay," said Misty, looking relieved. Ash nodded in agreement. He felt slightly responsible for James being hospitalized, despite Brock's and Misty's reassurances that it wasn't his fault. "So, like, what are we going to do now?" Daisy asked. Everyone stared at Ash, expecting an answer. "Ummm, Cinnibar Island, remember?" he asked, scratching his head. Misty nodded slowly, but Jessie interrupted. "What about James? He's been discharged, but he's still recovering. I don't think he can travel yet," she stated, concerned that they would be left behind by the only friends the ex-rockets had ever had. "Okay, then we wait," said Brock, summing up everyone's feelings on the matter. They all nodded in agreement. 

"You-you mean you would wait for us?" Jessie asked, choking back tears. "Like, sure. Why wouldn't we?" asked Daisy. Jessie started to sob happily. Erika patted her back comfortingly. "Jess, we're your friends. Don't you worry about anything. We're here to help you," she said soothingly. Jessie dried her tears and laughed a little, drawing puzzled looks from Ash and Brock, who weren't very sensitive to this kind of behavior. "It's just...I've never really had friends before. Between all of you looking after us and James recovering...I feel so happy, I could burst." 

Everyone had fun that night. When James finally was released from the police station, where he had to file some reports and give a statement to Officer Jenny, they all welcomed him back and decided to play some games. After endless rounds of poker and monopoly James grew very tired, so he decided to call it a night. Jessie helped James to their room. 

"Good night James," she whispered as he laid down. She turned, facing her own bed, but found a hand restraining her. "Jess... will you..." Jessie turned and nodded. She walked around the bed and crawled in beside him. He draped an arm around her, and she curled up next to him. They quickly fell asleep, bathed in the warmth of their nearness to one another. 

***

Elsewhere, a debate was raging. "But we've played Monopoly fifty times tonight! Can't we play something else?" Ash whined. "You just want to play something else because you always lose at Monopoly," Misty lashed at him. "Do not!" "Do too!" "Not!" "Too!" "Like, guys!" Daisy tried to interject, to no avail. "Do not!" "Do too!" "Do not!" "**GUYS, KEEP IT DOWN! YOU'RE GONNA DISTURB OTHERS GUESTS! PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE, YOU KNOW? THIS IS A HOTEL!**" Brock screamed at the top of his lungs. Misty and Ash snapped out of argument mode, instantly forgetting what they had been bickering about. "Sheesh, look who's talking. You could wake the dead yelling like that, Brock," said Jessica in an annoyed tone. Erika snickered. "Uhh, well, how else can I stop them from arguing?" Brock asked, blushing at his procrastination. Jessica shrugged. 

"Why don't we just play a nice game of Parchesi?" Erika asked innocently. When no one argued the suggestion, she pulled a box out of her backpack. "Th-that's!" Brock stammered. The box read: 'Strip Parchesi'. "Where did you buy that?!" Jessica asked critically. Brock, Daisy, and Jessica had each secretly wanted to buy a similar game when they had shopped for Ash's birthday presents this year. "Oh, you know, places..." Erika said, avoiding everyone's eyes by staring distractedly at the ceiling. Misty and Ash, who had said nothing, were both blushing profusely, each thinking of the other stripping while losing the game. Erika slowly opened the box and set up the game board. No hand moved to stop her. 

"Pick your color," Erika said seductively, offering the playing pieces in her cupped hands. Brock tentatively took a piece. Daisy quickly followed his example. Jessica also took one reluctantly. Misty and Ash reached for pieces at the same time, grabbing each other's hands instead. They blushed, then looked at one another. As if reaching a silent agreement, they stood and walked out of the room. "Where are they going?" Brock wondered aloud. Jessica stared after them curiously, dropping her game piece as she stood to follow them. "Sit down, JC. Don't you want to play?" Erika asked. Jessica froze in thought for a moment, then sat down and picked up her playing piece. 

Erika then stared at each of the remaining players in turn, then burst out laughing. "What?" they all asked. Confusion was written on their faces. "Hehehe...look at the...haha...board!" Erika laughed. They looked at the game board to discover the logo on the board did not contain the word 'strip.' In fact, there was no indication on any part of the game that it was anything but an ordinary box set of Parchesi. Brock and Daisy also started to laugh. "Good one," admitted Jessica. Erika finally stopped laughing and caught her breath. She turned to look at the doorway. "Still, I wonder where they went." she said. Since they all wondered the same thing, they stood and walked out into the hallway, following the young couple. They found them in their room. To everyone's immense disappointment, they were already asleep. "Ash is such a coward. He's not even in the same bed as Misty," said Brock. Daisy punched him lightly in the gut. "Shut your mouth. I'd be worried if those two _were_ in the same bed," she retorted. Jessica shook her head and slowly walked to her own room, followed by Erika. Brock and Daisy finally tired of watching the two sleeping teens and decided to go back to their room (the room that they had been playing games in). 

Ash opened his eyes a crack as he heard the door shut. "They're gone," he whispered. No response. "You awake?" he asked, slightly louder this time. Still no answer. He quietly got up and walked over to Misty. He bent down and lightly kissed her on the cheek. He was about to crawl into bed beside her when her arms flashed out around him and pulled him toward her, causing him to crash down on top of her. "I'm-I'm sorry, Mist," he stammered. She giggled in his ear. "It's okay," she said just before she kissed him deeply. As they broke the kiss she whispered, "Good night Ash." Then she rolled over and went to sleep. Ash sighed contentedly before falling asleep himself. 

ERRR....END? 

  
Hmm, I guess that's it for this episode. Some of you may note the lack of description for the game of Parchesi. This is because I've never played the game before! I _do_ own a copy of the game, but...well, let's just say it's not opened (hehe). This episode probably wasn't very good, but hey, I'm working on it. Anyway, I actually have an _idea_ for the next episode (*gasp*), so maybe it'll be better...hopefully. 

jon_schug@yahoo.com--you know what to do! 

Sayonara,  
Kenshin 


	10. KetchumLoserrr, sorry

  


Love Pallet

Episode 10: Ketchum=Los...errr, sorry...

by Kenshin

No cute intro this time, just straight to the fanfic. ^_^ 

  
Announcer:_ As you may remember, Ash and Co. recently defeated Team Rocket and earned Jessie and James their freedom. However, James was hit by some sharpnel and was hospitalized for a week. Thankfully, he pulled through and is now ready to travel again. As the scene fades in, it is the morning of the day that Ash and Co. have decided to leave for Cinnibar Island._

As she had done every day since beginning her travels with Ash, Erika woke before anyone else. She sighed as she drug herself out of bed. "Why do I have to be the mature one?" she asked herself jokingly. She knew that she was far from being the most mature person in Ash's group. "Then again...none of us are very mature." She shook her head as she headed for the bathroom to take a shower. 

After twenty or so minutes in the shower, Erika was fully awake. She then changed into her traveling clothes. 'Time to wake up everyone else,' she thought wearily. She poked Jessica, who was still snoring. "Jessica? Wake up, Jessica," she said. *SNORE* A vein popped out of Erika's head. *BONK* "WAKE UP!" Jessica was awake and rubbing her head. "Ow, what was that for? I was having a great dream," she complained. Erika snorted. "That's what you get for ignoring your first wake-up call," she teased. "Oh, go wake everybody else up and leave me alone," Jessica said as she rolled back over. "Alright, but if you're asleep when I get back..." she let her voice trail off in an implied threat. "Yeah, yeah," Jessica replied without even rolling over to face Erika. She reached behind her and shooed Erika with her hand, but she was already out the door. 

'Guess I'll wake up Jessie and James next,' she thought. She strode over to Jessie's hotel room. *knock knock knock* "Jess? Time to wake up!" she called through the door. She heard a pathetic, sleepy moan, then a crash as someone lost their balance trying to crawl out of bed. "Oh, my head," said a whiny voice that belonged to James. A few moments later he opened the door and motioned for Erika to come in. She walked over to the bed and looked down at Jessie. Her mouth was wide open, drooling, and her right arm and leg were slightly hanging off of the bed. Without hesitation, she grabbed the appendages and gave Jessie a sharp tug, causing her to come crashing to the floor. 

*SNORE* Jessie wasn't phased in the slightest, continuing to snore and drool. Erika began to get peaved. "I don't know which of these sisters is harder to wake," she complained to James. James shrugged and started making some coffee. Erika took ahold of Jessie's night shirt and shook her awake. "Hey! What's going on?" Jessie asked angrily as she woke up. Erika released her hold on Jessie's shirt, and Jessie fell to the floor again. "Hmph, you don't have to be so rough, Erika," Jessie complained groggily. "I wouldn't be rough if you'd just wake up," Erika retorted. Jessie continued griping, but Erika didn't stick around to listen to it. She had four more people to wake up. 

She walked to Brock and Daisy's room next. *knock knock squeEEeak* The door opened as Erika began knocking on it. She peered into the room to find Brock already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed gasping for breath and sweating heavily. "B-B-Brock? W-what are you d-doing?" she asked, embarassed at what she may have walked in on. Brock looked at her and blushed like a schoolgirl with a crush. "Uhhh...K-kendo," he said, pointing at a bamboo training sword that was propped against the wall. {Hehe, what were you thinking?} "Oh, okay. I-was-just-coming-to-tell-you-it-was-time-to-wake-up-but-you're-already-awake-so-bye," she said quickly as she shut the door and powerwalked to Ash and Misty's door. 'Man, he's hot when he's all sweaty...what am I thinking!? He's a pervert!' She shook her head to clear her thoughts before she knocked and called through the door, "Ash? Misty? Wakey-wakey!" 

There was no answer. *knock knock knock* Pause. Still no answer. *knockknockknockknockknock* Pause. Nothing. *BOOM BOOM BOOM* Frustrated Pause. Jessie shrieked in frustration and stormed off to Brock's room to get the spare key. {Ok, I don't know why Brock has the spare key to Ash's room, but he has to have it because he used it to get in Ash's room in the last episode, ok?} When she knocked on Brock's door this time, Daisy answered it, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Oh, morning Erika. Brock's taking a shower, so we're both up." Erika nodded. "I know he's up. I already came by. I just need the spare key to Ash's room. He and Misty don't seem to want to get up this morning," she said. Daisy rummaged through the desk and located the key, then handed it to Erika. "Thanks. I'll see you at breakfast," Erika said cheerfully before turning and marching triumphantly to Ash and Misty's door. 

Erika inserted the key into the lock and opened the door...to find Ash and Misty in the same bed. She stared at them for a few moments. "Hmm, they weren't like that when we checked last night. Oh, well." She grinned evilly as she thought up a nasty way to wake them both up. She shut the door and crept as close to the bed as she could get. Then she leaned over and kissed Misty on the cheek, followed by a peck on Ash's cheek. She quickly backed away from the bed a step and let them wake up. 

Ash yawned and stretched, then froze as he saw Misty's eyes staring at him. He felt a slight warmth and wetness on his cheek from a recent kiss and smiled at her. She smiled back, having a similar feeling on her own face. "Finally. I thought you two would never stop making out. Were you both asleep?" Erika asked coyly. They both jumped six feet into the air and landed in sitting positions on the bed. "Umm, uhhh, umm," was all Ash could say. Misty just blushed. Erika let them grill a few moments longer. "Oh, I was just kidding. Actually, I kissed both of you to wake you up. Seems it worked," she said, grinning coquettishly. "You KISSED ASH!?" Misty shrieked. Then she fully comprehended Erika's statement. "YOU KISSED _ME_!?" she shrieked louder. 

Erika nodded once then sprinted out the door, laughing all the way back to her own room. "What's so funny?" asked Jessica as she shut and locked their door. "Oh, nothing," she replied slyly. Jessica gave her an annoyed look. "Yeah, whatever. Talk." Erika giggled again, then calmed and told Jessica, "I just woke up Ash and Misty with a kiss." Jessica started giggling as well. "Which one did you kiss?" Erika laughed harder. "Both," she choked out. Jessica began rolling around, causing her to fall out of bed. "Ow...hehehe...well, that got me up I guess." Erika nodded and began packing. "Are you packing already? We're not leaving until after breakfast," said Jessica. "Yeah, but I want to be ready when we leave. You remember last time?" Jessica remembered well how they had waited and waited for Brock and Daisy to return from Celadon just after she joined the group. "Yeah, whatever. We're all hear, so there'll be nobody to wait on." Erika smirked at her. "I'm not worried about waiting on somebody to show up. I'm worried about waiting on somebody who isn't packed yet," she said meaningfully. Jessica threw up her hands. "Alright, alright! I'll pack already! ((Sheesh, some people.))" Erika looked up from her packing. "What was that?" Jessica quickly looked away and started twiddling her tumbs. "Oh, nothing..." 

***

"Is everyone packed?" asked Brock after they had finished breakfast. "Mmmff...Misty, are we packed?" Ash inquired as he finished the last bite of his pancakes. She sweatdropped and nodded, which drew giggles from Jessica and Erika. "Ohhhh! Ash, don't talk with your mouth full!" Misty fussed. After Ash apologized for several minutes, everyone gathered their traveling gear, and they set off on the road to Cinnibar Island. 

At least, they set off on the road that led to the ferry that traveled to Cinnibar Island, but you get the idea. Anyway, a few hours later, they were well on their way. They had followed the trail through a beautiful, open meadow, and they were now in a peaceful forest. As Ash's stomach began to growl, Brock declared that it was time for lunch. 

The traveling companions took a break to rest their weary feet as they eagerly awaited lunch. Brock broke out his apron and cooking utensils and began to cook a meal consisting of stir fried chicken and curry rice. As everyone prepared to dig in, a loud crash rang out from a nearby bush as someone tripped and fell through it. Without stopping, they boy half-walked half-crawled toward the group, heading straight for Ash. 

"Ketchum! Loser, quick, hide me!" Gary yelled as he collapsed near Ash's feet. Ash could only stare down at him in surprise. Misty was the first to get over the initial shock. "Why should we hide you, Gary?" she asked critically. Gary rose to his knees and pleaded. "Please, Ketchum! I'll never call you a loser again! Just HIDE ME! They're psychopaths, they're after me! Please!" 

It only took Ash a moment to consider never being called "loser" again before he turned to Misty. "Hide him!" Misty sighed and motioned for Daisy to help her. They drug Gary toward the bushes on the opposite side of the clearing. Just as they disappeared into the underbrush, a group of girls broke through the bushes where Gary had first appeared. 

"Look, it's that loser-boy. Hey, Ketchup, where's Gary?" one of them sneered. Ash growled. "It's Ketchum! Ash Ketchum!" He pointed off in a direction that would lead them away from where Misty, Daisy, and Gary were hiding. "The pain went that way," he said in disgust. The girls didn't respond, but simply ran off in the direction that Ash pointed. When they were out of sight, Ash walked over to Gary's hiding spot and said, "All clear." Gary peered out of the bushes cautiously before emerging. 

Misty and Daisy shoved him from behind, causing him to stumble back out into the clearing. "They're...gone?" he asked nervously. "Yes, they're gone. Off in that direction," Ash said as he pointed. Gary sighed in relief and slumped to the ground, sitting down and crossing his legs. "Whew. Thanks a lot Ketchum. Those creepy cheerleaders are getting worse and worse. They're trying to kidnap me now." Ash blinked in disbelief. Brock laughed, "I thought you liked your cheerleaders." Gary nodded, "I did, until they got all clingy and went psycho. If they catch me, they'll be the death of me." 

This comment drew laughs from everyone, except Jessica. She walked over to Gary and sat down, looking concerned. "Are you okay now?" she asked. Gary looked at her and gulped. "Y-yeah, I'm okay...You're not...one of _them_, are you?" he said. She laughed, "No, no. I'm not one of the cheerleaders. I'm Jessie's sister." It was then that Gary noticed Jessie and James were in Ash's group. He jumped to his feet and stammered, "Ketchum..T-team Rocket..wh-what's going on here!?" Ash grinned, "You've been running for a while, haven't you? We wiped out Team Rocket about a month ago, with Jessie and James' help. Giovanni got killed when his biggest "toy" exploded." 

Gary's head spun. "So...Team Rocket's gone? So, you two are...what are you now?" Jessie thought for a moment before responding, "Hmmm, I don't really know _what_ we are now...Ash's friends I guess?" Gary's jaw dropped. "This is too weird. Last time I saw you los...errr, Ketchum and his group, there were four of you (including Daisy). Now there are EIGHT!" Ash shrugged, "I'm just popular I guess." 

Before the conversation went any further, Gary's stomach growled loudly. "Ummm...hehe, would you mind if I joined you for lunch? I...sorta haven't eaten in a while." Before anyone else could respond, Jessica grabbed a plate, put some food on it, and shoved it into Gary's hands. "Eat," she commanded. Gary blinked a few times, then smiled at Jessica. "Thanks," he said, then he dug into his food with reckless abandon. 

Ash and Co. watched as most of their lunch disappeared into Gary's mouth. Misty elbowed Daisy in the ribs and giggled, "I think he eats more than Ash does." Daisy snickered and whispered back, "Nah, he's just really hungry. I'm sure on a normal day they eat about the same amount." Ash's jaw dropped. "My...lunch..." Brock sighed and put his apron back on. "Daisy, break out the rice again...it's gonna be a long lunch break..." He sighed to himself as he prepared to cook a second course of lunch for everyone else. 

  
Well, that's it for this episode of Love Pallet...wonder if Gary's going to stick around? And what's up with Jessica? I guess we'll have to find out next time on LOVE PALLET! 

  
(Hope that closing wasn't over-the-top, but I'm working on writing things in more of an anime-style. Three things: Read it, Review it, Check back for updates. That's it.) 

Sayonara,  
Kenshin 


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